Hundreds of Bulgarian farmers block roads in protest at the end of the veto on imports of Ukrainian grain
Hundreds of Bulgarian farmers blocked car traffic with tractors and other vehicles at several key points on the country’s road network and at border crossings on Monday. This is an indefinite protest that began today against the Provisional uprising last Friday banning imports of Ukrainian grain. A total of 26 organizations from the agricultural sector have called for this protest, which is being defended on social networks as necessary to “save Bulgarian agriculture” and will include a mass march to the Bulgarian capital Sofia tomorrow, Tuesday.
The demonstrators are demanding the resignation of the European coalition of reformists and conservatives in power over its decision to lift the veto on imports of agricultural products from Ukraine in place since the beginning of May, which they say negatively affects about 900,000 people.
Georgi Milev, vice president of the Grain Producers Association, called on the population to reduce motorized trips and transfers to the bare minimum and only when necessary, as farmers move heavy agricultural machinery on the roads. As public broadcaster BNR reported, around 40 blockades had been set up across the country by early morning, including several on sections of the two highways that cross Bulgaria, one in the north and one in the south, as well as on the European route E-79, which connects to Greece, and on the two bridges over the Danube that connect to neighboring Romania.
The Bulgarian Parliament approved last Thursday the decision to lift the temporary veto on imports of grain from Ukraine, which had been introduced with the approval of the European Commission in that country as well as in Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and Romania before their domestic agricultural sectors protect competing Ukrainian products that are duty-free in the European Union. A day later, the Commission announced that it would not extend the ban beyond September 15, as requested by Kyiv, although the majority of the five affected partners actually wanted to extend it until the end of the year.
The veto affected the import of wheat, corn, rapeseed and sunflowers, but not the transit of these Ukrainian products through the territories of the five countries to third destinations. Bulgaria is so far the only country to have lifted the veto, as Poland, Hungary and Slovakia have announced plans to unilaterally extend it, while Romania is waiting for a plan from the Ukrainian government with measures to protect Romania’s internal market before making a final decision . (Efe)