Macron will bring French farmers’ grievances to the EU President
President of France Emmanuel Macron has announced plans to advocate for the European Union to ease the environmental regulations that have triggered widespread protests throughout the country. Macron pledged to bring the concerns voiced by French farmers to Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission.
For several weeks, farmers in France have been urging the government to revoke various uncompetitive regulations and laws that are negatively impacting their livelihoods. As part of their ongoing demonstrations, farmers have blocked major highways, including those leading to the capital, dumped manure at government offices, and taken other measures to pressure their leaders into action.
Macron is scheduled to meet with von der Leyen on Feb. 1 in Brussels to address the ongoing crisis in the agricultural world. The farmers’ primary grievance is the EU’s 2023 nature restoration law, which mandates member countries to implement environmental measures on approximately a fifth of their land by 2030, resulting in about 4 percent of farmland being left fallow—depriving farmers of land for one or more growing cycles.
France’s farming minister, Marc Fesneau, stated that Macron will endeavor to amend this EU legislation to address the farmers’ concerns when meeting with von der Leyen. Fesneau will also be present at the meeting to advocate for softened EU environmental regulations. Arnaud Rousseau, the head of one of the largest farmers unions in France, emphasized the vital role of the protests in pressuring the government to listen to their demands. The farmer’s unions in France have further highlighted the issue of receiving unfairly low prices for their produce, lack of protection against supermarkets purchasing cheaper imports, low pensions and the phasing out of a tax break on diesel fuels.
