Greek farmers say they will blockade Bulgaria’s borders again from January 23
Greek farmers have said that they will begin protests on January 23 2017, with blockades of roads including checkpoints at the border with Bulgaria, public broadcaster Bulgarian National Radio reported on January 14.
The decision is a sequel to a meeting held by Greek farmers in the city of Larissa in December, at which they decided to organise blockades nationally in protest against tax reforms.
The protests will begin with blockades in villages and on January 23 these will expand to national scale.
The farmers say that their demands have not changed and that they remain adamantly opposed to the tax reforms.
In January and February 2016, protests by Greek farmers caused severe disruption, including about 40 days of blockades at the Bulgarian border, which caused huge problems for transport companies.
At the time, the border blockades were the subject of complaints by Bulgaria’s government, which accused Athens of violating European Union rules on the free movement of goods and persons by failing to act effectively against the protesting farmers.
(Archive photo: A long queue of lorries at the Bulgarian-Greek border, caused by a February 2016 blockade by protesting Greek farmers)
/Panorama
