The Czech government, MEPs and the Czech Road Association are calling for an immediate response to incidents in which protesting French farmers stopped Czech lorry drivers, destroyed non-French agricultural products on board and, according to reports, sometimes assaulted the drivers.
As part of the protests which have expanded across France and recently encircled Paris, French farmers, who are calling for improved economic conditions and less red tape (including from Brussels), have been stopping lorries that do not carry French agricultural products – impacting the work of lorry drivers from Czechia.
“The protests by French farmers have continued unabated and have unfortunately included violent actions against foreign lorries transporting agricultural produce. Czech vehicles have already been attacked, with goods being thrown out of them, stolen, the oil taken from their tanks and tyres damaged,” Czech Association of Road Transport Operators – ČESMAD BOHEMIA – said in a press release.
“It must be stated that the matter is entirely in the hands of the French, and the initiative is unfortunately more on the side of the protesters than on the side of the police,” it added.
Over the weekend, Czech Agriculture Minister Marek Výborný (KDU-ČSL, EPP) even asked his French counterpart Marc Fesneau (Democratic Movement, Renew) to intervene, said the ministry’s spokesman Vojtěch Bílý. Fesneau reportedly informed Czechia that the French authorities have been ordered to take immediate action, and the authorities are being mobilised to find a solution.
“We respect that everyone has the right to protest, but it is unacceptable to attack the transporters of vegetables and other commodities,” the spokesman told Euractiv.cz.
The Czech Interior Ministry is also looking into the matter, confirming to Euractiv.cz that it had offered to help its French counterparts in the matter but had not yet received a response, although it had not seen any improvement in the situation.
“France is doing nothing. Many drivers have been attacked and beaten, and their goods have been devastated,” Czech MEP Tomáš Zdechovský (KDU-ČSL, EPP) told Euractiv.cz, having previously highlighted the problem on his social media accounts.
Zdechovský also sent an official question to the European Commission, warning the executive about the situation in France and asking if the Commission plans to address the issue.
“Such uncontrolled protests are seriously undermining the proper functioning of the single market as Czech trucks transporting goods for our citizens have been stuck for days, report stolen and damaged property and suffer great economic loss,” Zdechovský argued.
According to Zdechovský, whose team has been in touch with drivers stranded in France, more than 40 drivers are experiencing difficulties, and at least 10 have been attacked. Some drivers are transporting perishable food and risk it becoming spoiled, while others are stuck in traffic jams and do not have access to medicines.
Pressure at the European level is also being exerted by carriers suffering from the situation in France.
“ČESMAD BOHEMIA, together with the International Road Transport Union IRU, appeals to the European Commission and the French government directly to take immediate preventive measures to facilitate the free movement of goods by allowing unhindered access to key trade routes and to guarantee sufficient safety for drivers,” the Czech road transport operators association added.
(Aneta Zachová | Euractiv.cz)
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Source: euractiv.com
