Big anger of Romanian farmers against Ukrainian cereals while the European aid plan was supposed to calm the rumble in Eastern Europe.
With our correspondent in Bucharest, Benjamin Ribout
Despite the snow in some places, with tractors and trailers, farmers across the country protested on Friday April 7 against the opening of the European market to Ukrainian cereals due to the war. Main hotspots: the headquarters of the European Commission and the Ministry of Agriculture in the capital Bucharest, as well as Ukrainian border crossings and the country’s largest port, Constanţa.
Romanian farmers accuse Ukrainian cereals of dumping and believe they are now working at a loss. Cereals that do not meet the same specifications, particularly in terms of the use of pesticides.
Faced with the rumble in several countries, Brussels announced a plan a week ago. Except that this one is considered very unsatisfactory by Romanian farmers.
Bucharest only received “only” 10 million euros, against 30 million for Poland and above all 16 million for Bulgaria, a country much smaller than Romania and whose agriculture weighs less. Moreover, the words of the Vice-President of the European Commission, on the eve of the demonstrations, did not help to calm people’s minds: Frans Timmermans explained to the Romanians that they would not receive more agricultural aid, s ‘they did not undertake deep reforms.
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