Blocked Roads Near Border: Spanish and French Farmers Protest Jointly

A few days before the European elections, French and Spanish farmers are protesting together. They have blocked the common border. Among the protesters’ main demands are curbing rising energy prices and achieving “food sovereignty” within the EU. Hundreds of farmers blocked eight border crossings between Spain and France, from the Basque Country in the west to Catalonia in the east. The periods of border blockades varied, but were not to exceed 24 hours. In this way, the agrarians are trying to pressure both the Madrid and Paris governments and the EU authorities ahead of elections later this week. Earlier this year, there was a wave of farmer protests in Europe. They were unhappy with EU rules and imports from abroad, which they claimed were creating unfair competition. So far, the EU has already weakened some environmental policies by removing agricultural emissions reductions from the 2040 roadmap.