Riga, Dec 15 (LETA) - On Thursday, December 18, the association Farmers' Parliament will take part in one of the largest protests by European farmers in recent years in Brussels, where more than 10,000 participants from all 27 European Union (EU) member states will gather, the association informed LETA.

The protest will oppose the European Commission's (EC) proposal for the next multiannual budget 2028-2034, advocating for a strong, adequate and united Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) in the EU after 2027, fair trading conditions and less red tape.

Maira Dzelzkaleja-Burmistre, Vice-Chair of the Farmers' Parliament Board, pointed out that if the single fund approach is implemented and Latvia makes no effort to change it, the future of Latvian agriculture is at stake.

Dzelzkaleja-Burmistre pointed out that Latvian farmers have for years received the lowest support payments in Europe, unjustifiably and unfairly, despite the fact that the requirements for receiving payments are the same in all member states.

In view of the EC's proposal for the next EU multiannual budget and its disregard for Latvia's national interests, representatives of the Latvian agricultural sector will also take part in farmers' protests in Brussels. Farmers' Parliament explained that the current proposal means that Latvian farmers will receive the lowest support payments among all EU countries from 2028, amounting to only 74 percent of the EU average.

Dzelzkaleja-Burmistre stressed that such an offer is categorically unacceptable for Latvian farmers. It will not reduce the disparities that Latvian farmers have been fighting for for 20 years.

"While other countries are investing in their own development, Latvian agriculture is once again being relegated to last place in Europe. The Latvian state must stand up for the interests of its farmers by insisting on full equalization of direct payments. This would not only help the country's economy, but in the long term would make local food much cheaper," said Dzelzkaleja-Burmistre.

Latvian farmers have put forward a budget of at least 90 percent of the EU average agricultural support payment as the minimum acceptable compromise for the next multiannual period. To ensure that this level is reached, at least EUR 1 billion more is needed in addition to the minimum EUR 2.6 billion currently earmarked by the EC for Latvia to spend on agriculture in the next programming period 2028-2034.

In contrast to previous programming periods, the EC proposes that in the next period 2028-2034, CAP funding will no longer be a stand-alone, ring-fenced funding for Member States. Instead, it is planned to create National and Regional Cooperation Plans (NRPs), or a "single fund", including Cohesion Policy, the European Regional Development Fund, the Social Fund, the Common Agricultural Policy and other common EU policies.

According to the Farmers' Parliament, this means that there will no longer be specific funding earmarked for the development of each Member State's agricultural policy and support for reducing inequalities between EU Member States. The Single Fund policy foresees that, building on the previous period, a minimum amount of funding is set for each country to allocate to agriculture and, at the same time, it is decided at national level to channel additional funding, including to reduce inequalities in support between EU Member States.

The association Farmers' Parliament has called on the President Edgars Rinkevics and Prime Minister Evika Silina (New Unity) not to allow the implementation of the single EC policy and, defending national agricultural interests, to oppose the single EC fund policy and to work for the Common European Agricultural Policy to remain a separate policy with a separate EU-level budget and budget allocation for each Member State, taking into account the need for equalization of direct payments.

On Thursday December 18, there will be the biggest ever farmers' protest in Brussels, bringing together more than 10,000 farmers from all 27 EU Member States. The organizers, Copa-Cogeca, the pan-European organization of farmers and cooperatives, said the EC's proposal threatens Europe's food security, undermines agriculture as a strategic sector, increases dependence on unstable third country markets and contradicts the EU's own stated aim of ensuring sustainable and competitive farms.

For this reason, Copa-Cogeca calls on the Member States and the EU institutions to immediately reverse the EC-led approach, to maintain the CAP as a strong and stable policy with adequate funding, allowing Europe to maintain its food production capacity and security.