EU protest: Chaos as Greenpeace cover Parliament entrance in paint – 'Disaster!'

The climate change activists coloured the pavement outside the EU Parliament in green paint as negotiations on the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) reform continue in Brussels. The organisation tweeted: “Activists colour EU Parliament green as negotiations on EU’s #FutureOfCAP farming reform enter final stages inside.

“This is no green farm policy, just #greenwashing.

“The CAP plan is a disaster for small farms, nature & climate – EU Parliament must #VoteThisCAPDown.”

Italian MEP Matteo Adinolfi denounced the incident on Facebook, criticising the police for its slow response to the activists’ protest.

The Lega politician blasted: “ATTACK ON THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT.

“Greenpeace blocks the main entrance to the European Parliament by smearing the entrance with green paint and preventing access.

“The police intervened belatedly.”

EU negotiators began two days of talks on Tuesday on a plan designed to make the bloc’s huge farming subsidies greener and fairer, although campaigners question its environmental impact.

The CAP will spend 387 billion euros, around a third of the EU’s 2021-2027 budget, on payments to farmers and support for rural development, with new rules kicking in from 2023.

The revamp aims to align agriculture with the EU’s target of zero net emissions by 2050, by tackling the 10 percent of EU greenhouse gases emitted by farming.

An EU official said of talks between negotiators from the European Parliament and the EU members: “We aim to close the deal this week.”

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One option is to use a stricter definition of “active farmer” recipients. Parliament has said this should halt payments to large-scale processors of agricultural products.

The European Commission and Parliament have sought a 100,000 euros per year cap per beneficiary, with the excess redirected to smaller farmers.

EU countries and farming groups say redistributions should be voluntary.

Pekka Pesonen, secretary-general of European farmers and agri-cooperatives group Copa Cogeca, warned against a “one-size-fits-all” approach and said farmers were being asked to make green investments despite lower subsidies.

The European Environmental Bureau says the CAP plans have no targets for reducing agricultural emissions and says firm rules are needed to keep EU countries in line.

Agriculture is the most frequently reported pressure on Europe’s habitats and species, from intensified farming practices including pesticide use and irrigation.

source: express.co.uk