BRUSSELS — A wave of coordinated demonstrations is set to sweep across Europe on Tuesday, as farming organisations in 20 EU member states prepare to mobilise in what they describe as a last-ditch effort to defend the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) — the historic cornerstone of European agricultural support.
From Portugal to Finland, and from Greece to Ireland, farmer unions are rallying behind a single, urgent demand: a protected, dedicated, and inflation-adjusted budget line for the CAP within the EU’s forthcoming Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF), set to be unveiled in July.
“Without a safeguarded CAP budget, the entire architecture of European agricultural policy could collapse like a house of cards,” warned COPA-COGECA, the umbrella organisation representing European farmers and agri-cooperatives, in a joint statement issued Monday.
The mobilisation — spanning France, Italy, Spain, Germany, the Netherlands, Romania, Greece, and beyond — reflects a growing unease among farmers that the European Commission is on the verge of dissolving the CAP into a single, undifferentiated budget fund. Such a move, farmers argue, would not only undermine transparency and predictability but also open the door to renationalisation of the policy — a red line for many.
“We cannot accept a return to fragmented, unequal agricultural policies dictated by national budgets and short-term interests,” said a farmer union leader from Austria.
What especially concerns the sector is the rushed timeline. The next MFF — which sets EU spending from 2027 onward — is expected to be presented as early as this July, alongside a CAP reform proposal, without what farmers call "meaningful consultation, financial clarity, or governance structure."
Why farmers are back in the streets
The discontent runs deeper than procedural objections. Inflation, rising input costs, environmental compliance burdens, and market volatility have left many producers financially strained and politically disillusioned. The CAP, once considered a reliable safety net, is increasingly seen as vulnerable — stretched thin and politically downgraded.
“We’re tired of being told to modernise, green our practices, and adapt — all without the financial tools to do so,” said a dairy producer from Denmark, who plans to travel to Brussels for Tuesday’s demonstration.
The protest is expected to peak at 10:00 a.m., behind the Schuman roundabout in Brussels, the symbolic heart of the EU institutions. Hundreds of tractors, banners, and farmer delegations will converge to demand that agricultural policy be treated not as a relic of the past but as a strategic priority for Europe’s future.
A historic test for the EU
For the European Commission, the confrontation over the CAP budget marks a critical test of political resolve. In recent years, the bloc has faced mounting internal divisions over farm subsidies, green transition goals, and rural development funding — all of which come to a head in the upcoming MFF negotiations.“We’re not against reform,” stressed a representative from Hungary. “But reform cannot mean retreat. Agriculture must not become the collateral damage of broader budget compromises.”
As negotiations in Brussels intensify, farmer organisations say this is only the beginning. If no firm commitments are made in the coming months, they warn, larger and more disruptive protests may follow across European capitals.
For now, the message is clear: Europe’s farmers are mobilised, unified, and prepared to fight for the survival of the CAP — and with it, the future of rural Europe.
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