Polish farmers from the Solidarity trade union have announced plans to stage a general strike, including a blockade of border crossings with Ukraine. This move aligns them with protests occurring across Europe, in countries such as France, Belgium, Portugal, Greece, and Germany. Farmers are protesting against the EU's climate change measures, rising costs, and perceived unfair competition from abroad. Polish farmers are particularly concerned about the impact of cheap food imports from Ukraine.
The European Commission has stated that it is closely monitoring the concerns expressed by farmers. Solidarity, apart from the blockade with Ukraine, intends to implement intermittent blockades of roads across Poland from February 9 to March 10. A separate group of Polish farmers had previously blocked a key border crossing with Ukraine, but suspended their protest after the government agreed to their demands.
Meanwhile, farmers across Europe continue to express their frustration, with protests escalating to the point of farmers throwing eggs at the European Parliament and starting fires. They are demanding that EU leaders take more action to support them.
Dutch-Belgian border blocked
Farmers blocked the Dutch-Belgian border and occupied roads in Greece on Friday, while a Polish union announced plans to shut border crossings with Ukraine as European protests over prices and red tape spread.
While French farmers started lifting blockades after the government made further concessions, Belgian and Dutch farmers blocked motorway border crossings. A government traffic website showed that blockades on three key motorways remained in place on Friday evening.
Source: reuters.com