French and Spanish Farmers Block Border Crossings

French and Spanish farmers have been blocking border crossings along the Pyrenees since in a historic joint protest aiming to influence the upcoming European Parliament elections and demand cheaper energy among other issues.

Dozens of Spanish tractors joined a few French farmers already positioned where the A9 highway from Montpellier to Barcelona crosses into France near the village of Le Perthus, completely shutting down traffic.

"Today's a historic blockade that has never happened in Europe before," said a French farmer spokesperson, celebrating the rare unified protest despite past divisions. "Before we confronted each other, now we're allying as we face the same problems."

The Spanish protesters wasted no time setting up large paella pans and even portable toilets upon arrival. In addition to the A9, seven other France-Spain border crossings were blocked from Catalonia to the Basque Country, causing major disruptions expected to last over 24 hours initially planned.

This mobilization for cheaper energy and enforcing environmental standards on imported goods was unusually not organized by traditional farmer unions. "It's not normal to impose standards on us that aren't respected for imported products," said an organizer, calling it a "peaceful" way to pressure future European MPs.

A Spanish farmer echoed that foods get imported without meeting the EU rules no product would violate. "We want to weigh in, as 80% of agricultural laws are decided in Brussels now - so the battle is European, not national," said a French farmer protest figure.

While motivated differently than protests that blocked roads earlier this year, they still demand "just that Europe has uniform regulations and taxes," warning more actions could come this fall if nothing changes after the elections.