Copa and Cogeca have called for a large pan-European mobilization on December 18, which is expected to gather around 10,000 farmers and ranchers in Brussels.
Tensions between the European agricultural sector and EU institutions have reached a critical point. “We are facing a strategy that acts as a true smokescreen,” complain Copa and Cogeca. “The Commission praises agriculture in its speeches, but its decisions tell a completely different story: a retreat from the EU’s common agricultural ambition.”
Since 2024, producers across Europe have been warning that the reform of the CAP, insufficient budgetary support, and the proliferation of regulations are limiting productive capacity and the economic viability of farms. Added to this is the progress of trade agreements that the sector considers unacceptable. “The Mercosur agreement is simply inadmissible in its current form. It does not protect our standards nor our most sensitive sectors,” they stress.
The choice of December 18 as the date for the protest is no coincidence. That day, Brussels will host a key European Council session, where the future EU budget will be discussed. Just a few hours later, President Ursula von der Leyen is scheduled to fly to Brazil to finalize negotiations with Mercosur. “We cannot remain idle in the face of a strategic mistake that could jeopardize Europe’s very food sovereignty,” emphasize the organizing bodies.
The mobilization will be supported by around 40 European agricultural organizations, which will convey a clear and united message: “We want a strong, well-funded, and genuinely common CAP; fair and transparent trade rules; and regulatory simplification that stops stifling our farms.”
“Words are not enough. We need bold, clear, and tangible solutions for the future of European agriculture,” the organizations conclude.
The December 18 protest comes at a particularly sensitive moment for EU agricultural policy, marked by lack of consensus on the post-2027 CAP, budgetary pressures, and the reshaping of external trade relations. The primary sector, historically one of the pillars of the European project, demands strategic clarity at a time when Brussels’ decisions are perceived as disconnected from the productive and rural reality.
This episode reflects the growing tension between political ambition and economic sustainability. The mobilization not only challenges the Commission’s current direction but also brings to the forefront the debate that will define the next decade: what agricultural model the European Union wants and can sustain. The outcome of this confrontation will directly affect the competitiveness of European agriculture, the continent’s food security, and the rural cohesion that underpins much of its territory.
