Farmers Clash With Police in Brussels as EU Leaders Face Mounting Pressure Over South American Trade Pact

BY EMMANUEL OGBONNA

Brussels was gripped by unrest on Wednesday as hundreds of farmers driving tractors blocked key roads near the heart of the European Union, setting off fireworks and clashing with police while EU leaders gathered nearby for a high-stakes summit. Officers responded with tear gas and water cannons as demonstrators protested a long-negotiated free-trade agreement between the EU and South American nations, warning that it threatens their livelihoods and risks reshaping Europe’s political landscape.

The protests unfolded as European leaders met to discuss the future of the sweeping trade accord with the Mercosur bloc, which includes Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay and Bolivia. Farmers argue that opening European markets further to South American agricultural products would expose them to unfair competition from countries with lower production costs and looser environmental standards. Union leaders say the deal could accelerate farm closures, depress incomes and undermine rural communities already under strain.

Thousands of farmers were expected to join coordinated rallies organized by agricultural unions, converging on Place Luxembourg near the European Parliament and the Europa Building, where the leaders of the EU’s 27 member states were meeting. Demonstrators called for the agreement to be amended or its signing postponed, demanding stronger safeguards to protect European agriculture.

The summit agenda also included a separate and sensitive proposal to seize frozen Russian assets and redirect them to support Ukraine, adding to the political weight of the meeting. But it was the Mercosur deal that dominated the atmosphere outside, with tractors lining streets and farmers vowing to keep up pressure on policymakers.

Opposition to the agreement has been steadily growing within the EU. Italy added its voice to the French-led resistance on Wednesday, signaling reservations about signing the pact in its current form. The agreement, first launched 25 years ago, would gradually remove tariffs on most goods traded between the two regions over a 15-year period, creating one of the world’s largest free-trade areas.

French leaders have pushed for stronger safeguards, citing fears that the deal could fuel support for far-right parties that have gained ground by attacking free trade and globalization. Paris has called for mechanisms to halt imports in the event of serious market disruption, tougher environmental and pesticide rules for Mercosur producers, and stricter inspections of agricultural imports at European ports.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni told parliament that moving ahead with the agreement in the coming days would be “premature,” stressing that Rome was not rejecting the deal outright but seeking stronger reciprocal guarantees for Italy’s farming sector. Italy’s stance gives France enough support to block the agreement, potentially denying European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen the backing she needs to sign it.

Von der Leyen has argued that the agreement is strategically vital for Europe, both economically and geopolitically. Supporters say it would open a market of roughly 780 million people, representing about a quarter of global economic output, and provide the EU with a powerful counterweight to China’s export controls and the United States’ increasingly protectionist trade policies. Critics, however, warn that it could weaken environmental protections and place Europe’s iconic agricultural sector at risk.

Despite the resistance, von der Leyen and European Council President António Costa remain scheduled to travel to Brazil on Saturday for a planned signing ceremony, though diplomats increasingly acknowledge that a delay is likely.

Across South America, frustration is growing over Europe’s hesitation. Leaders within Mercosur have played down their own political differences in favor of securing a deal they see as crucial for boosting agricultural exports and strengthening ties with Europe. Uruguay’s Minister of Economy and Finance, Gabriel Oddone, said his country remained optimistic that approval would come in time to move forward with the agreement.

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, one of the pact’s strongest champions, has invested significant political capital in securing the deal. Hosting the upcoming summit, Lula hopes to seal the agreement and claim a major diplomatic victory ahead of next year’s general elections, when he is expected to seek reelection. Speaking at a cabinet meeting on Wednesday, he expressed irritation with the positions taken by France and Italy, describing Saturday as a decisive moment.

“If we don’t do it now, Brazil won’t make any more agreements while I’m president,” Lula said, framing the pact as a defense of multilateral cooperation at a time when global trade is increasingly fragmented.

Argentine President Javier Milei, despite sharp ideological differences with Lula and his close alignment with former U.S. President Donald Trump, has also backed the agreement. He has argued that Mercosur should be used as a tool to expand access to global markets rather than as a barrier against them.

As negotiations continue behind closed doors, the scenes in Brussels underscored the deep divisions surrounding the deal. With farmers on the streets, governments split, and South American leaders pressing for action, the fate of one of the world’s most ambitious trade agreements remains uncertain.