Essay by Eric Worrall

There are several factors driving the protests, but one of the planned government responses is “lower fuel prices”.

‘It shows they are fed up. It’s a revolt’: European farmers are furious with the EU for 3 main reasons—and one has to do with Ukraine

BYSYLVIE CORBET AND THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
January 25, 2024 at 3:49 AM GMT+10

With roadblocks and street protests, farmers in France demonstrated Wednesday across the country and in Brussels against low wages and what they see as excessive bureaucracy, part of a rising tide of anger among agricultural producers across the European Union.

There were also demonstrations in Poland, where disgruntled farmers slow-drove their tractors through major cities in protest at what they call “unfair” competition from neighboring Ukraine.

In a sign that the protest movement was expanding in France, roadblocks were spreading in many regions, coming a day after a farmer and her daughter died when a car crashed into a protest barricade in the southwest.

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Government spokesperson Prisca Thevenot said Wednesday that the government would make new proposals to respond to the crisis “in the coming days.” Announcements were expected to focus on lower fuel prices for farmers and simpler regulations.

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Read more: https://fortune.com/europe/2024/01/24/why-are-farmers-protesting-germany-france-ukraine-poland-european-union/

The protests have been simmering off and on the last few years, but the latest protests appear to have been triggered by a German Government attempt to meet climate targets, by cancelling diesel tax exemptions for agriculture.

The only thing Berlin’s fueling is discontent…

The German government’s CO2 price increase beginning from January 2024 will make petrol, heating and electricity more expensive. 

Already Germany’s industry is shrinking rapidly and farmers are now protesting nationally due to high fuels costs: 

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Read more: https://notrickszone.com/2023/12/23/germanys-nationwide-discontent-will-be-fueled-further-by-higher-co2-tax-planned-for-2024/

It seems inevitable that European governments will back down at least a little from their eco-crusade to wreck the EU agriculture industry.

But the new settlement with farmers could also lead to a dramatic reduction in European support for Ukraine. Another major grievance of farmers is Ukrainian farmers, who don’t have to pay punitive green European fuel taxes, have been given free access to sell their goods in the EU, undercutting local EU farmers.

Ukraine’s Zelensky administration has repeatedly aligned with radical liberals and the green movement. Last September Zelensky told the Republican US Congress one of the reasons Ukraine needs billions of dollars of military aid is so the world can address climate change. Zelensky’s clumsy appeal was not well received by Republicans.

To add to this madness, early last year George Soros gave a speech in which he explained Ukraine needs to crush Russia, to liberate the funds needed to complete the green revolution – to consolidate the very policies which are currently wrecking the livelihoods of European farmers.

Obviously there is no way to know the new European political landscape until after the dust settles. The EU Parliament election will be held in June this year. Large numbers of ordinary working class Europeans are pushing back against EU green policies like never before. At least some components of Europe’s support for Ukraine’s Zelensky are also in the firing line.