Several hundred tractors are expected to flood Brussels in the demonstration today, Thursday, February 1 and paralyze the European capital on the day of the EU summit, according to Belgian media reports.

The first tractor convoys started arriving in Brussels from last night, bound for the European Quarter, while some exit and entry points of the city are already closed.

During the night from Wednesday to Thursday, some of the farmers will already block access to Brussels from 1:00 am, the president of the Federation of Young Farmers (FJA), Florian Poncelet, told the Belga agency.

The majority of the tractors are expected to head around 10am (local time) near Schumann Square where the Commission and European Council buildings are located, as well as towards the Place du Luxembourg outside the European Parliament, where they will symbolic actions and speeches take place.

Belgians, but also farmers from various European countries (France, Germany, the Netherlands, Romania, Poland) have been in revolt for several weeks, denouncing, among other things, “the inconsistency of European policies”, the accumulation of complex environmental rules, unfair competition from the abroad and their low incomes.

In the large-scale demonstration in Brussels, agricultural unions from Spain, Italy and Portugal have joined to join their voices with those of Belgian farmers.

The “general blockade” of Brussels, as announced by the president of the FJA, is expected to last at least until 5 pm. However, the presidents of the FJA and the farming federation Fugea warn that if the farmers do not win what they are asking for during Thursday, their actions will continue the next day in the European capital.

Meanwhile, the police authorities of the capital of Brussels warn of serious traffic problems both in the center and on the outskirts of the city, and recommend that residents avoid traveling by car and prefer the metro as a means of public transport.