Thursday, January 8
The Brandenburg Farmers’ Association is protesting this morning over the EU negotiating a free trade agreement with the Mercosur countries in Latin America. This negotiation has been ongoing since 1999.
The deal was supposed to be signed in December but was delayed at the insistence of Italy. The EU now aims to sign the agreement in Paraguay on January 12. It would create the world’s largest free trade zone with more than 700 million inhabitants.
For Berlin and Brandenburg farmers, this means that agricultural products will arrive in the EU at significantly lower prices. Products would also be produced under poorer social and ecological standards.
In an interview with rbb, co-organizer of the protest, Mario Ortlieb, stated, “The farmers are strongly affected by this, because foreign goods are not controlled as much as German products.”
Motorists should be aware that the A10, A11, A14, A19, A20 and A24 will be affected by the protest, according to Autobahn GmbH. The delays are expected to last until 8 pm.
