Ministry of Transport, Information Technology and Communications

If by Monday (February 29^th, 2016) the Greek farmers do not lift permanently the blockade of the Bulgarian-Greek border, Bulgarian hauliers are adamant to begin a counter-blockade.  This was said by the Minister of Transport, Information Technology and Communications Ivaylo Moskovski after today's meeting with Bulgarian hauliers in which participated also the Minister of Foreign Affairs Daniel Mitov and representatives of the Bulgarian hauliers.

Minister Ivaylo Moskovski pointed out that the harassment of the Greek farmers continues nearly ten years and that it is now totally unacceptable and intolerable. According to him, the losses for the Bulgarian hauliers and the business are for tens of millions, but until now any compensations from the Greek side have not been paid.

The two Ministers announced that they would initiate on a bilateral basis and at European Commission level the elaboration of a new type of document and procedure entitling the Commission for rapid and effective intervention that guarantees the solution of such crises. At the moment the current mechanism is very slow and does not work really. During the briefing became clear that MTITC and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs sent letters yesterday to all Member States to inform them on the seriousness of the problem with the crossing of the Bulgarian-Greek border.

During the talks, the hauliers acquainted both Ministers with their intentions to initiate counter-blockade if the Greek farmers continue to close the border. The Chairman of the Bulgarian Association of road transport (BASAT) Miroljub Stolarski said that their actions will be directed only to Greek heavy vehicles and vans transporting agricultural production across the Bulgarian crossing-border points.

He explained that they would also block Greek vehicles trying to enter the country through Macedonia. In his words, this is a fair resolution, because the situation at the border was caused by the Greek farmers and it is appropriate for them to bear the consequences of their counter-protest, rather than other sectors of the economy and the ordinary citizens.

If the problems with the passing across Greece are not solved permanently, hauliers declared their readiness to undertake extreme actions, such as closing of Bulgarian-Greek border for all vehicles in the periods from 30 April to 7 May and from 15 July to 20 August.