They call it "the calm before the storm".
Dozens of tractors parade through the streets of Brussels towards the European Quarter.
The perimeter of the area is surrounded by barbed wire.
Every now and then a horn sounds to announce its arrival and a firecracker explodes.
The farmers' siege at the heart of Europe is ready to unfold and gradually increase in intensity, when EU leaders gather at the Europa Building for a summit already marred by Viktor Orban's veto of the €50 billion aid package euros for Kiev.
A perfect storm 130 days before the European elections.
Which Brussels - also accused by Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini of being "disastrous on the employment and rights front" - is trying to defuse with two measures hastily put on the table to respond to Emmanuel Macron's call: protections on food imports - wheat in the lead - with zero duties from Ukraine and a new stop for the whole of 2024 to the obligation to put 4% of land fallow to access CAP funds.
The revolt of the green vests which has now spread from north to south of the continent - from France to Belgium, from Germany to Eastern Europe, from Italy to Greece, up to Spain - fuels the anguish of the EU leaders under the watchful gaze of the deployed police along the streets adjacent to the headquarters of the European Parliament, the Commission and the Council.
The demands are common: higher incomes and aid, no to the rigid limits of the Green Deal, protection from extreme climate events, high energy costs, epidemics such as avian flu and unfair competition from the rest of the world.
Symbolized by agreements - Mercosur in the lead - which, in the view of the especially French sector, favor the invasion of the European market of products with dubious standards and lower prices.
An anger from which Brussels has attempted to shelter itself by proposing to renew for another year - between June 2024 and June 2025 - the agricultural and commercial benefits granted to Kiev, combining them, however, with strengthened safeguards loudly requested by border farmers, those of Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Romania.
Then came the proposal, strongly supported by Paris, to still keep suspended the obligations under the new CAP to set aside 4% of arable land in order to obtain community funding.
All measures welcomed with satisfaction by the Elysée, which is however ready to start a new battle on the free trade agreement with South American countries.
And which also for Coldiretti, present in Brussels on behalf of Italian farmers and breeders, represent only "a first result" to obtain the "definitive" removal of the fallow obligation.
Farmers - this is the admission of von der Leyen who is under pressure also in view of the race for an encore at the helm of Palazzo Berlaymont - "are the backbone of the EU's food security".
And now the political dialogue with the sector and governments will have to "continue".
Starting with the face to face with Macron.
At the European Council table - even if no passage on agriculture is officially foreseen - the resident of the Elysée will be the first to raise the issue to be centralized in the review of the EU budget 2021-2027, of which the CAP is one of the pillars with over three hundred billion euros available.
The political battle, announced by the Transalpine Finance Minister, Bruno Le Maire, will be "a tug of war".
In particular on Mercosur.
For Paris the agreement is too hot and must be cancelled.
Belgium is also ready to support the request, with the regional government of Wallonia - already protagonist eight years ago in the taking hostage of the EU-Canada agreement (Ceta) - which asks the central government of Alexander De Croo, now at the helm of EU presidency, to oppose.
To reaffirm the requests, around three hundred tractors are ready to converge on Brussels.
And at least half a thousand demonstrators.
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