Sanchez considers farmers’ demands fair and asks Brussels for answers

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez considered most of the demands of farmers demonstrating in the country this Wednesday to be fair and said they “need a response” from the European Union (EU).

Asked about the demonstrations that brought thousands of people to the center of Madrid this Wednesday, Sánchez expressed “maximum sympathy for most of the demands” of the farmers and said that his left-wing government considers them “fair and that they obviously need a response from the European Commission.”

Spain, a government official said, sent a letter to the European Commission on Wednesday asking it to meet farmers’ demands for what they see as excessive bureaucracy and so-called “mirror clauses” (imposing the same rules and requirements on farmers). imports imposed on production within the European area).

Last week, Spain’s executive unveiled a package of 18 measures in response to farmers’ demands, but the country’s three largest agricultural confederations decided to continue their protests despite acknowledging “important achievements.”

Agriculture Minister Luis Planas acknowledged that the 18 measures are largely within the competence of the EU and therefore the obligation is to propose and defend them in Brussels.

Among these proposals are several: relaxing the rules of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), simplifying procedures, reducing bureaucracy and increasing requirements for products imported from outside the EU.

Spain is the leading exporter of fruits and vegetables to the EU.

Sánchez, answering questions from journalists in Morocco at the end of an official visit to that country, confirmed that the Spanish government supports agriculture and that in the last two years alone it has allocated 4 billion euros in aid to the sector. to respond to the consequences of the war in Ukraine, inflation and drought.

The Prime Minister, who is a supporter of the EU trade agreement with MERCOSUR (Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay), emphasized that in recent years Spanish agriculture has become competitive and Spain has begun to export more agricultural products than imports, which is why the opening of foreign markets are “also of interest” to national farmers.

Sánchez believed that the response to agriculture goes and should go “beyond” the “climate change denial” and “anti-Europeanism” of some right-wing and far-right parties, such as those that oversee agriculture in regional governments. Spain.

At least 4,000 people with 500 tractors demonstrated this Wednesday in Madrid, the 16th consecutive day of protests by farmers across Spain against European policies and rules.