Bulgaria Govt: Greek Farmers Threaten Escalation of Protests

At about 11 pm on February 2, there was an exchange of words between Greek farmers and Bulgarian drivers on the Kulata-Promahonas border crossing point. Photo by BGNES

Striking Greek farmers have threatened to escalate their protests around Greece over their failed negotiations with the government.

The negotiations which took place on February 2 between the Minister of Agriculture and the National Coordination Committee of the farmers failed to produce a solution to the situation in which much of Greece – including the Bulgarian border – is blockaded by the farmers who demand higher agricultural prices.

This conclusion has been included in the report of the Crisis Headquarters of the Bulgarian government with respect to the condition of the Greek border blockade on February 3, 2010.

The report reveals that the Greek Ministry met only two secondary demands of the protesters, and the farmers have made clear their intention to continue and escalate their protests until the government gives in.

Meanwhile, the Greek Hoteliers’ Federation has declared that it would sue the protesting farmers over the negative impact on the tourism sector because of the road blockades around the country.

At about 11 pm on February 2, there was an exchange of words between Greek farmers and Bulgarian drivers on the Kulata-Promahonas border crossing point. This led the Greek authorities to send additional police forces on the stop.

The Bulgarian government has received letters from two unions of transport firms demanding swift actions within the EU for lifting the border blockade.