French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin has so far ruled out the possibility of forcibly lifting the blockade of a number of roads by farmers, since they are “not criminals,” but “workers.”
However, Darmanin warned protesters that there are certain “red lines.”
The interior minister told France 2 television on Wednesday that “demonstration is a constitutional right” and backed ongoing talks to reach an agreement after farmers intensified their protests in recent days.
“We cannot treat workers as criminals,” he said, before emphasizing that protesters are “not attacking police officers” to make demands the government considers “legitimate.”
“We have given them clear instructions: not to enter Paris, not to block (the Rungis market) and not to blockade the airports,” he added, a day after Prime Minister Gabriel Attal promised to continue negotiations.
The French government estimates that around ten thousand people are taking part in demonstrations in various parts of the country, part of general unrest in the sector that is also spreading to other European countries.
French President Emmanuel Macron said he would discuss issues related to farmers during a meeting in Brussels with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen this week.
In an interview with Sud Radio, French Agriculture Minister Marc Fenot announced an 80 million euro package for wine producers aimed at covering losses and boosting liquidity this year, but said he expected further proposals “by the end of the week.”
Macron has already made clear France’s opposition to the trade agreement between the European Union and Mercosur and called for a review of imports from Ukraine.
Paris also wants some “flexibility” after some complaints from farmers were directed at rules agreed at European level.
The tractor roadblocks that are happening across Europe, in countries such as Germany, France, Belgium, Italy, Poland and Romania, are motivated by various issues such as cuts in agricultural subsidies and declining incomes amid already existing problems of rising inflation and energy. prices, but the anger of most European farmers appears to be directed at Brussels, which they accuse of imposing costly and bureaucratic-laden environmental measures on them in the name of the green transition.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
I am Michael Melvin, an experienced news writer with a passion for uncovering stories and bringing them to the public. I have been working in the news industry for over five years now, and my work has been published on multiple websites. As an author at 24 News Reporters, I cover world section of current events stories that are both informative and captivating to read.