Bulgaria Business Fires Back with Greek Border Blockade

Greek farmers use their tractors to block the road to Agrinio, western Greece. Farmers continued their protests throughout Greece, determined to force the government to concede to their demands. Photo by EPA/BGNES

A Bulgarian business association has threatened to stage a blockade of the Bulgarian-Greek border on Monday in response to the Greek farmers protests, which have incurred millions of euros of losses.

The National Association of Bulgarian Business say their blockade of the Kulata-Promahonas border crossing point has been prompted by the intermittent border blockade imposed by the protesting Greek farmers since the beginning of January

They have told the Bulgarian National Radio that such measures were needed since the Greek farmers had been blocking the border for weeks with demands for agricultural prices.

The Association is increasingly concerned that the protests of the Greek farmers incur greater and greater losses to the Bulgarian economy. They have not specified how their planned counter-blockade would rectify the situation.

Talks to resolve the three-week tractor blockade of highways and border crossings in Greece by farmers collapsed on Sunday, increasing the pressure on a government grappling with the country's worst financial crisis in decades.

The farmers refused to back down in the row, which is seen as a crucial test of Athens' determination to impose austerity measures that will salvage Europe's most indebted economy.

The blockade, which is believed to cost EUR 25 M a day, has disrupted transport, damaged commerce and strained relations with neighboring Bulgaria, where exports have also been hard hit.

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