A weekend to gain the consensus of governments and a month and a half to move on to the facts.
The European Commission's last-ditch attempt to stop the tractors that continue to drive on the continent's roads comes just a few days before the D-Day of the meeting of Agriculture ministers expected on February 26 in Brussels.
On the plate of ten million European farmers, Ursula von der Leyen puts new exemptions to the obligations to be respected on crops and land to obtain EU funds and halved inspections on companies.
A step backwards that may still not be enough: less than four months before the European elections, the Twenty-seven are also asking to review the newly reformed Common European Policy and attenuate the push of the Green Deal.
And, on the sidelines of the political confrontation that promises to be high tension, at least 1,500 tractors have already promised to storm the European Quarter after having set fire to the area in front of the European Parliament at the beginning of February.
With an eagerly awaited non-paper sent to the capitals, Palazzo Berlaymont outlines the first possible actions to be taken to help reduce the administrative burdens placed on farmers' shoulders.
And what stands out above all are the fewer conditions for accessing direct funding from the CAP and the cut of up to 50% in inspections on agricultural companies.
This is because, underlines the community executive, "the set of basic standards" that farmers are called upon to respect "has proven difficult to implement".
For this reason - in addition to the already approved new stop for the whole of 2024 on the obligation to put 4% of land fallow - von der Leyen's team proposes to modify the obligation to maintain permanent grassland surfaces in the The EU is stable compared to 2018 levels. Protection from sanctions is also provided for those affected by drought or floods who cannot meet the requirements of the CAP.
All short-term simplification measures which, says von der Leyen fresh from her re-nomination, show that the EU is "keeping the commitment made" already at the beginning of February.
Even if governments, dealing with internal protests, raise the bar: on Monday ministers will ask to reopen some "fundamental acts" of the CAP.
A sort of revolution of that common agricultural policy reformed in 2021 which, with the legislature expiring, cannot be launched immediately.
But which Brussels does not exclude at all from taking into consideration "in the medium term".
With an eye especially towards smaller farmers.
At the risk of falling under the blows of protests against EU green policies in the near future, officials admit, there could also be the regulations already adopted on soil, forests and nature restoration which have already caused much discussion .
The march of the tractors - mobilized in large numbers in the streets of Bratislava and Prague in the last few hours - will put pressure on the ministers who, according to the Sherpas' prediction, "will insist on obtaining concrete results".
And if French President Emmanuel Macron is ready for a face-to-face meeting with the sector as early as Saturday in Paris, Brussels is calling on farmers online, announcing the start of a consultation in March to collect the information necessary to present an analysis " detailed" of their requests "in the autumn".
When even the polls have had their say.
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