On Thursday, February 27, Czech and Slovak farmers held a protest against the import of agricultural products from outside the European Union.
Farmers from the Czech Republic and Slovakia parked dozens of tractors, blocking the border crossing at the shared border near the Slovak city of Hranice.
They expressed their opposition to the cheaper import of agricultural goods from markets outside the EU – such as Ukraine and South America. The protesters criticized the agreement between the EU and the South American bloc MERCOSUR, signed in December, as well as the exemption of Ukrainian imports from tariffs.
“What affects me… is the incredible amount of obligations, paperwork, registrations, and so on that I have to deal with. At the same time, I can’t sell my products at the same price they are imported here from the East, or even from South America,” said Czech farmer Petr Halupka to journalists.
In addition, protests by farmers took place at other border crossings, including one on the Czech-Polish border.
