Two union demonstrations in Brussels on Tuesday pressed governments and the European Union to boost firefighting resources and preserve labor safeguards tied to farm payments.
The firefighter demonstration drew unions from 20 countries and set off from Brussels-North for the European Civil Protection Forum venue near Tour & Taxis, The Brussels Times reported. EPSU organized the march, with Belgian unions joining. Protesters called for national governments and the EU to invest more in fire-service staffing and equipment.
Eurostat reported 372,400 professional firefighters in the EU in 2025, down from 390,600 in 2024. ACV representative Steven Gilissen told The Brussels Times that Brussels was short close to 200 firefighters. The figures describe separate concerns: a blocwide headcount and a staffing estimate for the Belgian capital.
BRUZZ reported that unions and Brussels fire-service officials have another meeting scheduled for Nov. 13. The meeting is the next scheduled discussion identified in connection with the local staffing issue.
Anadolu Agency reported that the European Federation of Food, Agriculture and Tourism Trade Unions (EFFAT) held a separate rally at Place Jean Rey. The federation focused on labor conditions attached to agricultural support under the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy (CAP).
In its press release, EFFAT said the CAP links payments to agricultural employers with compliance with labor, health and safety rules. The federation calls that link social conditionality and said most member states began applying the mechanism in 2025.
EFFAT said some member states and political groups want to weaken or remove the requirement in negotiations over the policy after 2027. The federation argues the condition can protect farmworkers and keep employers that follow workplace rules from being undercut by competitors that do not.
