BELGIUM: TRUCK DRIVERS PROTESTING RISING FUEL PRICES THREATEN TO BLOCKADE BRUSSELS

Record ID: 647713

  • Title: BELGIUM: TRUCK DRIVERS PROTESTING RISING FUEL PRICES THREATEN TO BLOCKADE BRUSSELS
  • Date: 12th September 2000
  • Summary: BRUSSELS, BELGIUM (SEPTEMBER 10, 2000) (REUTERS) 1. SLV INSIDE RING OF BRUSSELS BLOCKED BY TRUCKS; SLV TRUCKS AND TRUCKERS (2 SHOTS) 0.11 2. SCU CHILD PLAYING WITH MINIATURE TRUCK; SCU PEOPLE SITTING WITH DOG (3 SHOTS) 0.26 3. MV TRUCK DRIVERS/STATIONARY TRUCKS (2 SHOTS) 0.39 4. SLV RUE DE LA LOI, ONE OF THE MAIN STREETS IN BRUSSELS BLOCKED BY TRUCKS 0.45 5. SLV POLICE BEHIND THE BLOCKADE; CYCLIST MOVING TOWARDS TRUCKS (2 SHOTS) 1.07 6. SLV TRUCKS AT AN IMPORTANT CROSSROAD IN THE CITY 1.12 7. SLV PAN SLV BOULEVARD FREE OF TRAFFIC; BRUSSELS BASILIEK WITH TRUCKS IN FOREGROUND (2 SHOTS) 1.28 8. SLV GROUP OF TRUCK DRIVERS TALKING IN THE MIDDLE OF BLOCKADE 1.31 9. (SOUNDBITE) (French) TRUCK DRIVER CHRISTIAN PARIS SAYING: "The fuel and taxes problems invite us tonight to have another blockade after the declarations of the ministers. The demonstration that was just a warning was about being dislocated when the ministers declared that they wouldnt do anything for the fuel problems and for the truck drivers. So that's why we're having this blockade in Brussels and we are going to stay." 2.04 BRUSSELS, BELGIUM (SEPTEMBER 10, 2000) (REUTERS) (NIGHTSHOTS) 10. SLV PAN BLOCKADE (2 SHOTS) 2.20 11. SCU TRUCK DRIVER EXPRESSING HIS ANGER 2.27 12. MV DELEGATES OF THE UNIONS ENTERING THE MINISTRY OF TRANSPORT FOR A MEETING 2.33 13. SCU CHANDELIER TILT DOWN MEETING BETWEEN THE UNIONS AND MINISTRY DELEGATION (4 SHOTS) 3.09 14. SLV POLICE PLAYING FOOTBALL ON THE STREET WITH THE TRUCKS IN THE BACKGROUND 3.16 15. SLV BLOCKADE DURING THE NIGHT 3.24 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
  • Embargoed: 27th September 2000 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: BRUSSELS, BELGIUM
  • Country: Belgium
  • Reuters ID: LVACLXHWK0MXARJ5UMKR7VZHVV25
  • Story Text: Belgian truck drivers protesting rising fuel prices
    threatened on Sunday (September 10) to blockade Brussels
    through the night after accusing Finance Minister Didier
    Reynders of making an "incendiary statement".

    Up to 2,500 trucks, buses and taxis have converged on
    Brussels as part of a wave of protests across Europe against
    rising fuel prices.

    Belgian truck drivers protesting rising fuel prices had
    stormed out of a meeting with Transport Ministry officials on
    Sunday (September 10) and vowed to blockade Brussels through
    the night.

    Truckers had demanded a meeting with Transport Minister
    Isabelle Durant or Finance Minister Didier Reynders, after
    accusing Reynders of having made an "incendiary statement".

    Reynders' spokesman Pierre Jeholet said the truckers had
    misunderstood his remarks on television.

    Protesters originally said their demonstration would end
    at 3 p.m. (1300 GMT). But more than seven hours later about
    300 truckers continued to tie up traffic on key roads, vowing
    to stay until granted a meeting with Reynders or Durant.

    Pierre Darchabeau, a representative of the Professional
    Union for Road Transport (UPTR), accused Reynders of saying he
    would do nothing to help the truckers.

    Jeholet told Reuters the truckers misunderstood Reynders'
    comments. "(Reynders) said it wasn't a question of granting
    general measures for the sector," Jeholet said. He said the
    minister had proposed some form of reimbursement based on
    actual fuel bills.

    Marcel Delsemme, general director of the UPTR, said
    union officials had not misunderstood Reynders's remarks,
    adding that the statement had provoked the blockade.

    Delsemme said union officials left the meeting with
    Transport Ministry staff members on Sunday because no progress
    was possible.

    Transport Ministry officials said the fuel prices would
    be discussed in a meeting already scheduled for Monday
    (September 11).

    The Belgian protest was launched just as a six-day
    blockade of French oil refineries and storage depots came to
    end.

    Belgian protest leaders said a 50 percent rise in the
    cost of diesel fuel since the beginning of 1999 was
    threatening profitability.

    Emphasising that the problem was European in scope, they
    demanded action by the European Union to ensure member
    countries lowered fuel excise taxes, as well as moves by the
    Belgian government to cut costs.


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