Farmers representing 62 protest blocks across Greece voted on Sunday to escalate their demonstrations into a 48-hour shutdown of the country’s main highways next week.
Beginning this Thursday, January 8th, primary transit routes will be severed. This will include strategic points at Malgara, Tempi, Bralos, and the Rio-Antirrio (Charilaos Trikoupis) Bridge.
Representatives at the Malgara summit near Greece’s second-largest city, Thessaloniki, stated that the move follows 36 days of protests. Rizos Maroudas, a leader from the Nikaia blockade in central Greece, emphasized that the protesters are demanding the immediate allocation of agricultural surpluses and subsidies to the country’s farmers.
The farmers noted that the next escalation of their nationwide protests is a necessary response to a lack of political will of the current Greek government to resolve agricultural sector issues. The farmers also noted that their demonstrations are growing in strength, as the number of participating blocks has risen from 57 to 62 since the start of the standoff several weeks ago.
The EU-Mercosur deal
A major point of contention remains the potential ratification of the Mercosur trade agreement by the European Union. Thanasis Saropoulos of the Geotechnical Chamber of Greece warned that the deal would allow international competitors to access EU markets without following the same regulatory standards as European and therefore Greek producers. Protesters have urged the Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis not to sign the agreement, citing risks to national food security and local livelihoods.
Similar protests against the EU-Mercosur trade deal have erupted across Europe. The planned blockade for the coming week will also target vital infrastructure, including customs offices at Evzoni, Niki, Promachonas, Exochi, and Kipi in the country’s northern borders. These closures will halt freight traffic, while fishers and street market vendors have signaled they will join the strike in solidarity with the farmers.
By closing the Bralos junction, protesters intend to effectively cut off ground transport between Athens and Northern Greece in the coming days, resulting in major issues to the transportation of goods and people. Organizing leaders, including Kostas Tzellas of the Karditsa Federation of farmers, have indicated that the government effectively has to answer to their ultimatum by Thursday by initiating a substantive dialogue and offer concrete solutions to their demands.
While the farmers remain entrenched on the roads, they have noted that a sincere will by Athens to negotiate could prevent the 48-hour blockade from commencing this Thursday.
What has the Greek government done so far?
Earlier in December, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis announced additional support of €160 million ($187.3 million) for farmers during a contentious parliamentary debate that ended with the approval of Greece’s budget for the fiscal year of 2026.
The center-right Premier also proposed the establishment of a cross-party committee that would work within a four-month deadline to identify issues faced by farmers and producers and draw up consensual, binding proposals that would be binding and therefore applicable to future governments as well. The majority of the farmers have rejected these measures as unsatisfactory.
The Greek government continues to call on farmers to abandon their blockades and come to a sincere dialogue to find common ground.
See all the latest news from Greece and the world at Greekreporter.com. Contact our newsroom to report an update or send your story, photos and videos. Follow GR on Google News and subscribe here to our daily email!
