Greek Farmers Reject Talks As Protests Escalate Into Third Week | World News

Greek farmers have rejected the government’s invitation for talks, vowing to step up protests that have disrupted traffic across the country for a third week.

The decision was taken during a nationwide meeting of farmer representatives on Saturday (local time); The representatives stated that they would first present a list of demands and enter into dialogue only after receiving concrete answers from the government.

The protests, which included blockades of highways, border crossings and ports, were triggered by delays in EU subsidy payments following a corruption investigation into Greece’s agricultural payments agency. Farmers are also demanding government support for rising production costs, losses due to animal diseases, damage caused by weather conditions and long-standing structural problems, Xinhua news agency reported.

Experts note that Greek farmers remain heavily dependent on subsidies, which account for about 47 percent of the average farmer income.

“Farmers are dependent on subsidies. Structural problems were never resolved and costs continued to rise,” Efstathios Klonaris, professor of agricultural economics at the Agricultural University of Athens, told local newspaper To Vima.

The government acknowledged payment delays and promised significant funding by the end of December, but stressed that all payments must comply with EU regulations. He also warned that demands must take into account wider social disruption.

While public opinion polls show that most Greeks see the farmers’ demands as legitimate, many also oppose the barricades. As protests continue over the Christmas period, concerns are growing about the impact on travel, tourism and trade.

Earlier on Friday, farmers closed many border crossings in the northern and central parts of the country as nationwide protests continued over rising production costs and delays in subsidy payments.

Nationwide protests by Greek farmers began on November 30, after payment of EU-funded agricultural subsidies was delayed following a corruption investigation and many producers faced a financing gap due to rising production costs.