European farmers take to the streets

Summary

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Marketplace Morning Report: European Farmers Take to the Streets

Date: December 18, 2025
Host: Gideon Long (Marketplace, BBC World Service)

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Episode Overview

This episode dives into two major European stories impacting economics and politics:

• Widespread farmer protests in Brussels against the proposed EU free trade agreement with the South American bloc Mercosur, with exclusive commentary from leading industry representatives.
• The unveiling of the European Commission's first affordable housing plan, including an in-depth interview with EU Housing Commissioner Dan Jørgensen.

The episode also briefly covers several global business stories, such as BP’s appointment of the first woman CEO of a major oil company, a corporate stake sale in Africa’s beverage industry, and updates on weapons sales and toy market trends.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. European Farmers Protest Mercosur Deal

[01:31 – 03:38]

• Farmers from across Europe gather in Brussels, rallying against the proposed EU-Mercosur trade deal, which would liberalize trade between the EU and South American countries (Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay).
• Agricultural leaders argue the deal threatens the future of European family farming by introducing unfair competition and undermining EU standards.

Notable Quotes:

• “We are protesting because for us, the future of farming is at stake... The agreement with the South American countries creates unfair competition and unequal standards.”
  — Peter Meedendorp, Dutch farmer and president of the European Council of Young Farmers [02:12]
• “Sectors like beef, sugar, rice... face competition from imports that are produced under other standards, with a competitiveness which we in the EU as family farms cannot compete with.”
  — Peter Meedendorp [02:34]

Analysis from Nick Marsh (BBC):

• The EU faces a delicate balancing act; it needs new markets due to US tariffs but must also protect its farmers amidst budget constraints and geopolitical tensions.
• “Farmers historically have demanded this support because food is important. Keeping prices stable is important. But... it’s hard to find that right balance.”
  — Nick Marsh [02:55]

Political Update:

• Emmanuel Macron, President of France, states France is not ready to sign the deal as the “figures in the deal don’t add up.”
  — [03:38]

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2. European and Global Business News Round-Up

[03:38 – 05:13]

• BP Appoints First Female CEO:
  Meg O’Neill, currently CEO of Australia’s Woodside Energy, will become BP’s chief executive, marking the first time a woman will run a major global oil company.

  • Under her leadership, BP is expected to refocus on core oil and gas operations.

• Diageo Sells Stake in East African Breweries:
  Diageo is offloading its majority stake for $2.3 billion to Asahi Holdings (Japan).

• US Approves $11 Billion Arms Sale to Taiwan:
  Package includes rockets, drones, and anti-tank missiles.

• Leboo Dolls Market Fluctuation:
  Shares in Leboo parent company drop amid concerns about declining popularity.

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3. Europe’s Affordable Housing Crisis—A New Plan

[05:13 – 08:23]

Exclusive interview with Dan Jørgensen, EU Housing Commissioner about the EU’s first affordable housing strategy.

Scope of the Problem:

• “Almost every country [is] struggling with not having enough housing, meaning that ordinary people find it very difficult to find a place that they can actually pay for.”
  — Dan Jørgensen [05:18]

Main Solutions Proposed:

• Increased investments and relaxed state aid rules to support new affordable housing.
• A “holistic and complex plan” that also addresses homelessness and aims to standardize construction practices across Europe.
• Tackling regulatory barriers and improving the internal market for construction (e.g., reducing red tape).

EU's New Role in Housing Policy:

• The Commission is stepping in due to rising political and citizen pressure:
  • “There’s a huge pressure from our citizens to do something about this. I don't really think most citizens care who it is that actually makes the decision. They just want the problem solved by the people they elect.”
    — Dan Jørgensen [06:15]

Short-Term Rentals:

• Providing cities legal certainty to cap short-term rentals (like Airbnbs) in “stressed housing areas.”
  • “In some cities it’s every fifth home that is actually a short term rental now, which is far too much.”
    — Dan Jørgensen [06:46]
  • It’s not a blanket ban, but intended to allow regulation where problems are acute.

Speculation in Property Markets:

• The plan does not yet include strong anti-speculation measures due to a lack of data.
• “I suspect that we do have a problem with speculation, but until now, I have to admit it’s mostly a suspicion. It’s not something that we have the data to prove.”
  — Dan Jørgensen [07:54]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “The future of farming is at stake.”
  — Peter Meedendorp, European Council of Young Farmers [02:12]

• “When you’re spending so much on Ukraine, when you have tariff threats, you need to find new markets. It’s hard to find that right balance.”
  — Nick Marsh, BBC [03:12]

• “It is a huge problem... ordinary people find it very difficult to find a place they can actually pay for. And if they find it, it takes up too much of their budgets.”
  — Dan Jørgensen, EU Housing Commissioner [05:18]

• “In some cities it’s every fifth home that is actually a short term rental now, which is far too much.”
  — Dan Jørgensen [06:46]

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Important Segment Timestamps

• Protest coverage & farmer interview: [01:31 – 03:38]
• Global business news highlights: [03:38 – 05:13]
• Housing crisis interview with Dan Jørgensen: [05:13 – 08:23]

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Tone & Style

The episode maintains Marketplace’s signature style—authoritative but accessible, with clear, concise reporting and a focus on global economic impacts. Interviews are direct and to the point but always contextualized for the listener.

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For listeners seeking insights into the intersection of agriculture, global trade, and socio-economic policy in the EU, as well as a snapshot of major corporate and policy moves, this episode is a jam-packed and informative listen.

Transcript

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[C]

Europe's farmers are on the streets. Live from the uk, this is the Marketplace morning report from the BBC World Service. I'm Gideon Long. Good morning. That's the sound of farmers from across Europe out in force on the streets of Brussels today protesting against the European Union plan to sign a trade deal with the South American economic bloc mercosur, which groups together Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay. The deal covers all aspects of trade between the two blocs, but the most controversial is agriculture. Peter Meedendorp is a Dutch farmer and president of the European Council of Young Farmers. He's in Brussels for the demonstration today.

[D]

We are protesting because for us, the future of farming is at stake. Firstly, it's about the next European budget proposals which we're seeing are deeply worrying us. And of course, the Mercury Agreement is also a major concern for us. The agreement with the South American countries creates unfair competition and unequal standards. We see that agriculture in The EU bears the costs of these agreements. Sectors like beef, sugar, rice and policy face competition from imports that are produced under other standards, with a competitiveness which we in the EU as family farms cannot compete with.

[C]

Let's hear a bit more about what's behind the row from the BBC's Nick Marsh.

[E]

This is the difficulty for the EU, because you've got the US imposing tariffs left, right and centre, including on European exports. You need new markets to sell to. You need to be able to sell to places like, like South America. But then in return, that means cheap goods are going to be coming into Europe. Historically, the EU has always wanted to support its farmers as much as possible, even though we're only talking about 2,3% of European GDP depends on the country, of course. But farmers historically have demanded this support because food is important. Keeping prices stable is important. But when you're spending so much on Ukraine, when you have tariff threats, you need to find new markets. It's hard to find that right balance.

[C]

And in the last hour or so, the French president, Emmanuel Macron has said the figures in the deal don't add up and that France is not yet prepared to sign it. The oil giant BP has appointed a new chief executive and for the first time, it's a woman. Meg o' Neill will in fact become the first woman to run any big global oil firm. She's currently the boss of the Australian oil and gas company Woodside Energy. She'll replace BP's current CEO, Murray Auchincloss, who's been in the post less than two years. Under Ms. O', Neill, BP is expected to continue its recent strategy of refocusing on its core oil and gas business rather than renewables. Let's do the numbers. Drinks maker Diageo, owner of global brands like Johnnie Walker, Smirnoff and Guinness, is offloading its 65% stake in East African Breweries, selling to Asahi holdings in Japan for $2.3 billion. The US has approved the sale of $11 billion worth of weapons to Taiwan. The package includes rockets, drones and anti tank missiles. And shares in Popmarp, the company behind leboo dolls, dropped 3% on Thursday amid further worries that Leboo mania may be waning. Earlier this week, the European Commission unveiled its first ever affordable housing plan, setting out a roadmap for tackling a Europe wide housing crisis. The package aims to free up cash for new homes, rein in short term rentals and cut red tape for construction projects. Dan Jorgensen is the EU's housing commissioner. Commissioner Jorgensen, thanks for Joining us here on Marketplace.

[F]

Thank you.

[C]

So how big a problem is the lack of affordable housing in Europe?

[F]

Well, unfortunately it is a huge problem. We see almost every country struggling with not having enough housing, meaning that ordinary people find it very difficult to find a place that they can actually pay for. And if they find it, it takes up too much of their budgets, so it makes it difficult for them to pay their bills.

[C]

And so that's the problem. What's your solution to the problem? What does the affordable housing plan consist of?

[F]

We need more investments so we will loosen the state aid rules so it's easier for countries to support the building of new affordable housing. But it is a really a very big and holistic complex plan that deals with also homelessness. It deals with how to make sure we standardize building sector so that we can construct better and have a better working internal market and so forth.

[C]

Housing has traditionally been an area of policy for national governments, not the European Commission. So why is the Commission getting involved?

[F]

Well, last year at the European Parliament elections, we saw for the first time that housing was very high on the agenda. And in some countries it was even the highest question being discussed. And this shows us that there's a huge pressure from our citizens to do something about this. I don't really think most citizens care who it is that actually makes the decisions. They just want the problem solved by the people that they elect.

[C]

You mentioned the issue of short term rentals, holiday rentals in places like Barcelona and Prague. What specifically does this plan say about that?

[F]

It's important for me to underline. It's not a ban. We're not against short term rentals. But it's good for tourism. It's good for the people that are able to make some money renting out their home. Sometimes that might be the reason why they can afford to live in that home. But in many cities across Europe, we see that they have increasingly become a problem. So in some cities it's every fifth home that is actually a short term rental now, which is far too much. We will set up some criteria for when an area in a city is a so called stressed housing area. And if that is then the case, we will make it possible to regulate without getting into trouble with the internal market rules. So that could be, for instance, put a max number of nights that you could rent an apartment out. Or it could be setting restrictions for areas where there's too many short term rentals, saying, okay, now we have a moratorium on introducing new ones. But it's important that it is of course, in the end, decisions that are made nationally and locally, but we will provide guidance and we will provide the legal certainty that it can actually be done.

[C]

And does the plan say anything about the issue of speculation in the property market? People buying properties just as an investment rather than as a home?

[F]

I've listened to experts in the last months telling me sometimes that this is a huge problem, that speculation is really the most important thing for us to deal with, and others saying, no, that's just supply and demand. I suspect that we do have a problem with speculation, but until now, I have to admit it's mostly a suspicion. It's not something that we have the data to prove. And for us to actually make actions or give recommendations to member states, we need more knowledge.

[C]

Commissioner Jorgensen, thanks for joining us on Marketplace.

[F]

Thank you.

[C]

In the UK I'm Gideon Long with the Marketplace Morning Report from the BBC World Service.

[G]

As we head toward the end of the year, Marketplace is here to help you make sense of the economy. What's happening, why it matters and how it affects affects you. If this reporting has been valuable to you in 2025, consider becoming a Marketplace investor. Your support powers independent journalism that cuts through the noise and delivers clarity when it counts. Donate [e-mail] or click the link in the show Notes.