Rural fury over the EU’s Green Deal has created a serious headache for Brussels in the lead up to elections for the European Parliament on June 6-9.
Continent-wide protests by angry farmers have helped fuel populist anti-EU sentiment across Europe just at a time when the bloc, already challenged by issues such as the war in Ukraine and migration, was desperate for some peace and solidarity.
Now anger over the Grean Deal could increase the number of seats held by the populist right in the Parliament, upsetting the established order and providing a voice to those unhappy with the European Union as a whole.
But just what is the Green Deal?
At its core the Deal has a series of ambitious goals. Under it, if all goes to plan, Europe will become the first climate-neutral continent by 2050, and by 2030 emit 55% less greenhouse gas compared to 1990 levels. The goals also include decoupling economic growth from resource use and ensuring "no person and no place is left behind".
To hit the targets the European Commission has rolled out a number of wide-ranging initiatives covering economic activity.
A part of the Green Deal, for example, is the Net-Zero Industry Act, which aims to “scale up the manufacturing of clean technologies in the EU.” Another part of the plan aims to ensure that all new cars and vans in the EU are emission-free by 2035.
While some of the proposals have run into criticism, especially over fears that they will undermine the competitiveness of European industry, it is the demands placed on the agriculture sector that have attracted the most anger.
Furious farmers have blocked streets and dumped manure in headline-grabbing expressions of their fury over the Green Deal.
Defenders of the Deal have said that a lot of the protests this year had more to do with other factors such as a surging price in fertilizers, and cheap food imports from neighboring countries such as Ukraine; both of which have added to rural woes. The Deal, they say, is being blamed for a whole litany of woes; not all of which are of its own making.
Other long-standing complaints, such as EU red-tape, have also filled the sails of rural anger, but the protests have made clear that the Green Deal is the main focus of anger.
A particular bone of contention was a requirement that 4% of land owned by farms larger than 10 hectares is taken out of production to allow it to regenerate. Farmers argue that this requirement will lead to a decrease in production and income.
Another source of anger has been the 'Farm to Fork' strategy. This aims to reduce the use of chemical pesticides by at least 50% by 2030 but farmers argue these regulations will make it impossible to maintain current levels of production, which in turn will threaten Europe's food security and make it dependent on food imports from outside the continent.
The anger caused by the Deal has also been fused with long-standing complaints from farmers about EU red-tape apparently hamstringing their sector, and a lack of independence when it comes to land management.
But the protests have already had an effect. In particular the requirement that farms had to leave 4% of their land fallow if they want to get access to CAP payments has been scrapped in favor of a voluntary scheme.
These legislative changes reflect a change in attitude. While the Green Deal's goals remain the same the procedures to meet those goals will be made lighter. Obligations will become invitations.
But this could struggle to quell frustration in one of the EU’s most important and costly sectors. According to the EU, total CAP commitments for the 2021-2027 period come to €386,602.8 million, and this huge financial commitment means that agriculture will remain high on the agenda.
Now anger over the Grean Deal could increase the number of seats held by the populist right in the Parliament, upsetting the established order and providing a voice to those unhappy with the European Union as a whole.
But just what is the Green Deal?
At its core the Deal has a series of ambitious goals. Under it, if all goes to plan, Europe will become the first climate-neutral continent by 2050, and by 2030 emit 55% less greenhouse gas compared to 1990 levels. The goals also include decoupling economic growth from resource use and ensuring "no person and no place is left behind".
To hit the targets the European Commission has rolled out a number of wide-ranging initiatives covering economic activity.
A part of the Green Deal, for example, is the Net-Zero Industry Act, which aims to “scale up the manufacturing of clean technologies in the EU.” Another part of the plan aims to ensure that all new cars and vans in the EU are emission-free by 2035.
While some of the proposals have run into criticism, especially over fears that they will undermine the competitiveness of European industry, it is the demands placed on the agriculture sector that have attracted the most anger.
Furious farmers have blocked streets and dumped manure in headline-grabbing expressions of their fury over the Green Deal.
Defenders of the Deal have said that a lot of the protests this year had more to do with other factors such as a surging price in fertilizers, and cheap food imports from neighboring countries such as Ukraine; both of which have added to rural woes. The Deal, they say, is being blamed for a whole litany of woes; not all of which are of its own making.
Other long-standing complaints, such as EU red-tape, have also filled the sails of rural anger, but the protests have made clear that the Green Deal is the main focus of anger.
A particular bone of contention was a requirement that 4% of land owned by farms larger than 10 hectares is taken out of production to allow it to regenerate. Farmers argue that this requirement will lead to a decrease in production and income.
Another source of anger has been the 'Farm to Fork' strategy. This aims to reduce the use of chemical pesticides by at least 50% by 2030 but farmers argue these regulations will make it impossible to maintain current levels of production, which in turn will threaten Europe's food security and make it dependent on food imports from outside the continent.
The anger caused by the Deal has also been fused with long-standing complaints from farmers about EU red-tape apparently hamstringing their sector, and a lack of independence when it comes to land management.
But the protests have already had an effect. In particular the requirement that farms had to leave 4% of their land fallow if they want to get access to CAP payments has been scrapped in favor of a voluntary scheme.
These legislative changes reflect a change in attitude. While the Green Deal's goals remain the same the procedures to meet those goals will be made lighter. Obligations will become invitations.
But this could struggle to quell frustration in one of the EU’s most important and costly sectors. According to the EU, total CAP commitments for the 2021-2027 period come to €386,602.8 million, and this huge financial commitment means that agriculture will remain high on the agenda.
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