Greek protesters disrupt port operations, blockades persist

Farmers in Greece blocked activity at the major commercial port of Volos from Wednesday, joining a nationwide protest over delayed farm aid payments and steep production costs.

Farmers across the country have been rolling out thousands of tractors and trucks to stage dozens of blockades for days, backing up traffic at key points on major motorways and periodically closing border crossings as they contend with a shortfall of more than 600 million euros ($698.58 million) in European Union aid and other payments.

European prosecutors in February alleged that thousands of farmers, abetted by state employees, fabricated land and livestock ownership for years to obtain EU funds.

The center-right Greek government has vowed to overhaul the state agency OPEKEPE, which administers the EU subsidies. Greek authorities have also initiated their own investigation into farmers' applications and tax records.

The government says that more than 40,000 farmers' applications are under inspection. It has committed to disbursing 3.7 billion euros ($4.3 billion) to farmers this year, but it admits to payment delays.

The ongoing audits have delayed subsequent aid disbursements, and payment holdups have coincided with a pox outbreak that has forced farmers to cull hundreds of thousands of sheep and goats.

Farmers from across Thessaly, the central farming region where floods ravaged crops and livestock in 2023, drove their tractors and other agricultural vehicles to the nearby coastal city of Volos and left them there for a few hours outside the port. Police sealed the port entrance to keep them away from the passenger and cargo terminals.

More agricultural workers from the cities of Karditsa, Trikala and Larissa traveled to Volos by private cars and buses to join the protest. Local fishermen were also preparing for a possible maritime blockade, the Greek City Times news outlet reported.

Impact on transport

Seeking to curb the impact of protests on transport, a Greek Supreme Court prosecutor on Tuesday directed authorities to detain, without delay, farmers who deliberately threaten traffic safety.

"We're not backing down. If they want to arrest the thousands of protesting people, let them come and arrest us," Costas Sefis, a farmer from the northern city of Malgara, told public broadcaster ERT. He added that compensation for the 2023 disaster was limited and had arrived too late.

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis is facing pressure over the scandal and the popularity of his center-right government has been harmed by the dispute.

The government says it is open to discussions and has called on farmers to halt the blockades. It admits payment delays and says more aid is coming soon.

But the protests persist. In the north, transport trucks formed long lines at Greece's border with Bulgaria late on Tuesday, where farmers intermittently restricted traffic at the Promachonas crossing.