This is true outrage. The ongoing blockade with tractors and other heavy agricultural equipment of the Bulgarian border with Greece, organized by Greek farmers, has been crawling on the nerves of Bulgarian trucking companies. Their trucks stay lined up in long cues on both sides of two major border checkpoints - "Kulata - Promahon" and "Ilinden-Exochi.”

Greek farmers are protesting against their government's intention to raise taxes. Well, let them protest and strike, as it is normal to be unhappy and to react when someone makes your life more difficult. But a question arises if it is appropriate for these farmers to make the life of Bulgarian truck drivers and businessmen difficult? The blockade brings losses not only to trucking companies but also to producers and traders. Experts have estimated that just the losses of carriers reach about € 100,000 daily.

This blockade is not something new. In the past Greek farmers have also blocked the border protesting over various reasons. One starts to wonder, isn’t it a bit strange that in the midst of winter, neighboring farmers park tractors on the road and watch the fun? Why aren’t there any blockades during the active farming season, when this equipment is needed in the fields? And more: Is it possible that Greek laws allow blocking major roads linking two EU Member States for days during times of peace? Or is it possible that Greek authorities have no special units for preventing riots? It is one thing to have the right to protest and another to act on the edge of the law and morality.

But what were the actions of Bulgarian institutions? They started acting only when media spread the "invitation" of angry truck drivers addressed to ministers and MPs to spend a night in their camp by the road. So, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs officially informed the European Commission "about the situation at border crossings with Greece" and asked the Commission to "take actions to overcome the problem in the shortest time possible." The letter reads that in this case "Greece violates fundamental freedoms in the EU, like the free movement of people and goods between Member States." Some politicians, however, pointed out with irony that the EC was unlikely to come from Brussels and remove the tractors from the border. In order to comfort the victims, Foreign Minister Daniel Mitov said Greek farmers blocked not only border checkpoints with Bulgaria but also some linking Greece to Turkey and Macedonia.

In a telephone conversation with his Greek counterpart Alexis Tsipras, Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov said that "internal problems should not become a reason for violating the right of free movement of people and goods," and called for corridors for transit traffic to be provided.

English: A. Markov