Bulgaria PM Hopes Greek Blockade Ends on Sunday

Bulgaria's Prime Minister Boyko Borisov stressed his talks with his Greek counterpart George Papandreou and defended him by saying he does not have the resources and tools to intervene. Photo by BGNES

Bulgaria's prime minister has expressed hopes that the blockade of Greek protesting farmers at the border between the two EU countries will be put an end to on Sunday, stressing the support of the European Commission.

“The situation is unprecedented for the European Union, since this is the first time that a country demands compensations for the losses it suffered,” Boyko Borisov said in parliament during a question time session.

According to Borisov Brussels officials appreciate Bulgaria's tolerance and willingness to wait a little before approaching the Court of Justice of the European Communities in Luxembourg in a bid to settle its scores with the Greek protesting farmers.

The prime minister stressed his talks with his Greek counterpart George Papandreou and defended him by saying he does not have the resources and tools to intervene.

Talks to resolve the four-week tractor blockade of highways and border crossings in Greece by farmers collapsed last 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.

Bulgaria is demanding compensation of EUR 10 M from its neighbor for the loss of business as a result of the farmers' actions along its southern border.

A year ago thousands of Greek farmers blockaded main roads across the country, intimidating Costas Karamanlis’s conservative government into coughing up a EUR 500 M package of support and incurring huge losses to Bulgarian companies.

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