President Emmanuel Macron today called for a series of European measures in favor of farmers protesting across much of the European Union, including “tangible” simplifications of the CAP and a special health force to “avoid” “unfair competition” between states members.

“A European fight must be made”, “we need a stronger and more practical Europe to protect the income of our farmers” and the “dramatic reduction of bureaucracy and complexity”, he said during a press conference after the European summit in Brussels.

“No, Europe is not deaf. Yes, the challenge is very big. Yes, we have the means to deal with it”he said as the largest agricultural union in France, FNSEA, accuses the European Union of being “deaf” to the expectations and demands of farmers.

President Macron specifically called for the “establishment of a European control force for health and agriculture” to ensure that “European rules” are applied everywhere in the same way, with “homogeneous controls”.

It must be ensured that there will be no “European-wide circumvention” of the rules “of the major European shopping centers,” also said the French head of state, whose government has announced several measures to put an end to the large farmers’ anger movement.

Emmanuel Macron also asked the European Commission to come up with “concrete and tangible simplifications as early as the end of February” in favor of farmers.

Also, asked Prime Minister Gabriel Atal to implement concrete “answers” in favor of simplification “at the latest for the Agricultural Fair,” a great annual meeting of the farming world in Paris, which he will inaugurate on February 24.

He also confirmed that the mechanisms in place to stop mass imports of poultry, sugar and eggs from Ukraine will be extended to cereals — key demand of the French cereal industry.

This “enhanced safeguard mechanism” will allow an “intervention” in case of price destabilization within the EU, with customs duties beyond certain “ceilings”.

The French president also expressed satisfaction at ensuring that the controversial trade agreement between the EU and the Latin American countries of Mercosur was not “concluded hastily as some have threatened to do”, “because we raised our voices, because we showed inconsistencies”.