Farmers to Go on Protest in Brussels Same Day as EU Summit

BRUSSELS (Sputnik) - Brussels police warned on Tuesday of a large-scale protest by farmers in the Belgian capital on February 1 that will take place at the same time as the EU summit and could paralyze traffic in the city.

On Monday, Belgian Foreign Minister Hadja Lahbib said that the EU countries will consider alternatives to the current plan for long-term financing of Ukraine only after the special summit on February 1, as the current goal is to reach an agreement on the existing proposal.

"A large-scale farmers' demonstration (with tractors) is planned for Thursday, it will take place at the same time as the European summit... Traffic problems are expected throughout the Brussels region," the police said in a statement on X.

Streets in the city center will not be available for motorists, including Schuman Square in the European District, where the European Commission and the Council of the EU headquarters are located. The protests are also planned in the area of Luxembourg Square, where the European Parliament is located. From the center the participants of the demonstration intend to go to different districts of Brussels.

In January, mass protests of farmers have been sprawling in EU countries. The protesters threaten to block European capitals and demand to change the pan-European agricultural policy, to lift numerous restrictions, including environmental ones, and to stop the uncontrolled import of cheap foreign products.