BarcelonaRevolta Pagesa, the agricultural organization that leads the farmers’ protests on roads throughout Catalonia, lifted the road blocks this Monday after meeting with the president of the Generalitat, Salvador Illa. The president has assured the farmers’ representatives that both he and the entire Government assume the commitments of the Minister of Agriculture, Òscar Ordeig, with the sector to minimize the impact on the sector of the commercial agreement between the European Union and Mercosur.
“I want to make it clear: Councilor Ordeig speaks on behalf of the Government. And Ordeig’s commitments are those of the Government and, in particular, those of the president,” Illa stressed. The Minister of Agriculture, Òscar Ordeig, has defended in the last few hours making a “common front” between agricultural organizations and the Generalitat to create working groups to defend various positions in relation to the treaty, such as mirror clauses, border control and also a compensation fund for farmers affected by the trade agreement, among others. Ordeig has also promised to defend the interests of farmers before the EU to reduce the cuts planned in the common agricultural policy (CAP). As a gesture of goodwill, this very Monday the demonstrators have lifted the blockade of the accesses to the Port of Tarragona.
In fact, for Illa to take on Ordeig’s promises was one of the demands of Revolta Pagesa. The president has taken advantage of his intervention during the constitution session of the Campus de Salut Clínic-UB consortium to reiterate that the defense of the agricultural sector is “one of the Government’s priority areas”.
The position of the Generalitat contrasts with that of the Spanish government, which this Monday has once again defended the benefits of the trade treaty, claiming that it will guarantee greater “cooperation, trust and joint prosperity” at a time when other powers choose to “raise walls”, reports Núria Rius Montaner from Madrid. In addition, he has assured that it will generate a saving in tariffs of more than 4,000 million euros for Spanish companies. In this sense, he has highlighted his commitment to a geopolitical model based on a predictable international order based on “norms and rules”.
Farmers, satisfied with the Government
Illa’s statements came shortly after he met with representatives of Revolta Pagesa at the Palace of the Generalitat this Monday afternoon. For their part, the farmers came out “happy” from the meeting, where Ordeig was also present: “We left satisfied because Illa has made Ordeig’s commitments to the sector his own”, said the representative of Revolta Pagesa, Jordi Aguilera, in statements collected by the ACN.
“From now on, we will start working tables and direct monitoring for the provision of resources to the sector and the minimization of the impact of the EU-Mercosur agreement”, added Aguilera. Minutes after Illa’s statements, the farmers who were blocking the AP-7 in Alt Empordà have approved lifting the cuts and it is planned that those who cut the C-16 in Berguedà will also do so. “If there are no last-minute setbacks, the cuts will be lifted,” said the member of Revolta Pagesa.
Catalonia has been the hot spot in Spain for the protests against the EU’s agreement with Mercosur (the trade bloc formed by Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay), a treaty that has received the approval of the EU states but which still has to be ratified by the European Parliament. In addition, there have also been protests in Galicia, Cantabria and the Basque Country, in addition to other EU countries, such as France, Belgium, Hungary or Poland, among others.
Farmers’ main criticism of the treaty is that it will mean tariff-free entry of agricultural products from South America, where food regulation is much looser. In this way, EU producers complain that they will have to compete in the markets of their own countries against food products made abroad that do not follow the strict rules set by European legislation when producing food.
We are working to expand this information
Keep reading
