Farmers in Poland protest EU environmental regulations and close border crossings.
Polish farmers began blocking a key border crossing into Germany on Sunday. With their action in Slubice, they stated that they wanted to protest against EU environmental regulations. The border blockade near Frankfurt an der Oder has paralyzed the motorway – A12 on the German side and A2 on the Polish side. This connects Berlin to Warsaw and is normally used by many trucks, among other things.
“The blockade started as planned at 1pm, both lanes of the A2 are blocked,” said a Polish police spokeswoman. The farmers originally wanted to block the border crossing for 25 days. After discussions with the population and local businesses, they abandoned this long-term project. The lockdown “will probably be lifted again on Monday,” protest co-organizer Dariusz Wrobel said.
Polish farmers consider current EU environmental regulations to be “unacceptable”. With the blockade, they are also protesting against the import of agricultural products from third countries that do not meet EU requirements.
Farmers across Europe have been protesting for weeks against EU environmental regulations and for protection against competition from third countries. On Monday, EU agriculture ministers will discuss the demands in Brussels.