Overview
- EU ambassadors advanced the pact and an EU source said ministers aim to complete Council approval by about 17:00 CET, enabling Commission signature as early as mid‑January.
- AFP reported a majority of member states backed the agreement, with Italy’s support proving decisive, while France voted no and pledged to contest it in the European Parliament.
- Belgian farmers blocked multiple highways, with Belga counting at least 16 key junctions and border points disrupted.
- Thousands rallied in Warsaw, where police barred tractors from entering the city as demonstrators marched toward the prime minister’s chancellery.
- French tensions remained high after police in Viri‑Châtillon seized 16 tractors and detained about 20 people, and a CSA poll found 79% of French respondents supporting the farmers’ protests.