I don’t know if a butterfly in Tokyo causes a tornado in Texas, but what happens in one European Union country immediately impacts all EU nations. I’ve seen the same in French and Greek media over the last few days.
Farmers are protesting and heading blocking roads across leading cities. Farmers in France and Greece are complaining about the same issues; production costs have risen to make farming unsustainable and liberal import of cheaper products.
In Greece, the price of Feta cheese and olive oil has nearly doubled since 2021. These are the two main ingredients of the well-known Greek salad. Consumers are concerned about high prices, which has become a significant topic in the Greek media.
There is a significant difference between what they sell their products for and what consumers pay in supermarkets. Something went awry, especially during this time of high inflation. Farmers across Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Poland are also concerned. The farmers’ protests are another example of the European political space, where people from different nations share common visions and face similar challenges.
Problems on a European scale require a European solution, which is the goal of the EU summit on February 1st in Brussels.The importance of improving agriculture in France is evident. When I began learning French years ago, the first image I saw in a language book was of a lush Normandy meadow, with milk cows chewing cud happily; then I read about butter and cheese. This is at the core of France’s image as a gastronomical country, where cooking is an art form. Slow food is a way of life – part of French identity, nation-building, and civilization. France has always been a major agricultural country, owing to its geography.
Indeed, nearly its surface is flat, stretching from the north and the French-Belgian border to the Pyrenees in the south. Combined with fertile soils and rivers, this makes it simple to develop something and explains why France is one of the world’s top agricultural exporters.However, there is another factor to consider. French people prefer high-quality meals.
Michelin-star chefs spend time each year teaching children about flavours in schools. They teach them to appreciate food that is simple to cook and requires only one main criterion: top-quality foods grown by French farmers. Farmers love their work and even name their cows. They are eager to show their expertise at the Paris International Agricultural Show each year, one of France’s largest events with a long history. Allowing for strengthening the connection between the so-called deep France and the urban one.
More than 80 per cent of the French support the farmers’ protests, as well as the reason that Arnaud Rousseau, the head of one of the two significant farmers’ unions, said he would lift country-wide blockades Thursday, shortly after the prime minister introduced new measures aimed at protecting their livelihoods that they described as “tangible progress.”
I’ve been there several times, and what always fascinates me is their ability to combine tradition and modernity, following the evolution of how people eat and drink differently year after year in our rapidly changing world. I look forward to the next one, which will take place in just a few weeks. I was convinced that by the end of my visit, I would be able to write a short book about what I had learned.
The Paris International Agricultural Show is also significant politically. Almost all French politicians spend hours with the farmers. Jacques Chirac, the previous French president, was undeniably the most famous French politician among French farmers, who admired his food taste and lifestyle.
After all, solid relationships with farmers and an appreciation for good meals can be valuable to a political career in France.
The newly appointed French Prime Minister, Gabriel Attal, has met with farmers and gave a speech in support to affirm his status as the new head of the French government. He is dealing with his first crisis since taking office and confirming the old French saying that ‘being Prime Minister in France is like sitting in an electric chair.’
Dr George Tassiopoulos is a Greek French political scientist, with a doctorate in political science from the University of East Paris. He was born in Athens, and has lived in France for the past 22 years where he teaches geopolitics in a business school in Paris.