site.btaBulgarian Road Hauliers Theaten to Stop Import of Greek Goods Unless Lasting Solution Is Found for Border Blockades

Bulgarian Road Hauliers Theaten to Stop Import of Greek Goods Unless Lasting Solution Is Found for Border Blockades

Sofia, February 24 (BTA) - Bulgarian road hauliers threaten to halt the import of Greek products to Bulgaria unless a lasting solution is found by Monday to the situation caused by the frequent border blockades by Greek farmers protesting against the government austerity plans. The warning came Wednesday at a news conference held by the Bulgarian Union of Associations in the Automobile Transport (BUAAT) in the presence of Transport Minister Ivaylo Moskovski, Foreign Minister Daniel Mitov and representatives of the road haulage business. They discussed the situation on the border and the Greek farmers' blockades which have continued, on and off, for over a month now.

Moskovski said that some 60 per cent of the import of fruit and vegetables in Bulgaria comes from Greece. Road hauliers are determined to also block the border during the upcoming spring holidays, including Easter. No tourist buses will be allowed to cross the border in either direction between April 30 and May 8, and during the peak of the holiday season beetween July 15 to August 28.

Moskovski and Mitov said that they would insist before the European Commission that new rules be set in place for dealing with such situations: after seven years of notifications by Bulgaria to the Commission about situations similar to the current one, this country has received no reply and no compensations.

On February 23, the Greek farmers closed the busy Kulata-Promachonas border crossing with no prior notice. No trucks were allowed to cross ever since and waiting vehicles have formed a 10 km line. The nearby Ilinden crossing is closed as well, in both directions. Traffic through the Makaza crossing is normal.