[size=75:1l0f48y7]novinite 20 January 2010

Bulgaria Winter Resorts Hit by Greek Farmers Border Blockade

Local tourist companies have reported a huge drop in tourist numbers in Bulgaria’s main winter resorts over the blockade by Greek farmers of the Bulgaria-Greece border.

Sandanski, Bansko ans the entire South-West region of Bulgaria have reported a drop in tourists since last week when the first rumors of a possible blockade of the Bulgarian-Greek border came out in the local media.

Since last week, Greek tour operators have begun to refuse reservations at Bulgarian hotels, as Greek tourists have no certainty that they will be able to cross the border into Bulgaria.

”The situation is very bad. Millions of euros are being lost - not only in Sandanski, but in Bansko and the whole region, “ local tourist officials reported.

Bulgaria Prime Minister, Boyko Borisov, earlier Tuesday requested EUR 10 M from the European Union for the ongoing blockade of the Bulgaria-Greek border by Greek farmers, who started to block the Bulgarian border for ten days from Monday as they rally against unpaid subsidies and low prices for their production.

[size=75:2v44wpz7]novinite 20 January 2010

Bulgaria Suffers EUR 3 M Daily Losses over Greek Farmers Rally

Bulgaria’s Economy Minister, Traicho Traikov, informed that Bulgaria is suffering losses in the amount of EUR 3 M per day over the Greek farmers protests.

Traikov spoke in the Parliament Wednesday.

On Tuesday, Bulgaria’s Prime Minister, Boyko Borisov, ordered the establishment of a crisis task team with experts from the Agriculture Ministry, Transport Ministry, and the Economy Ministry to evaluate the losses for Bulgaria from the blockade.

The task team set a hotline where organizations and businesses can report their losses. The date will then be processed by the team and the result are to be submitted to the European Commission.

Also on Tuesday, Borisov asked for EUR 10 M in compensations for the incurred losses. He had made the demand during a conversation with the EC President, Jose Manuel Barroso.

Meanwhile, a line of 150 trucks and tractor trailers has formed at the Kulata-Promahon cross border point on the Greece-Bulgaria border Wednesday morning, the border authorities report.

The blockade of the Greek farmers had not been lifted for 30 hours already and since 4 pm Tuesday all traffic has been at a standstill. The demonstrators are using farming equipment to block all access through the cross point.

The local municipalities from the town of Petrich and the city of Blagoevgrad have provided food, water and chemical WCs for the stranded drivers.

The other border cross point Ilinden-Eksohi is also expected to be blocked from 11 am to 5 pm.

The Greek farmers want secure subsidies, guaranteed prices, reduction of their production expenditure and unfreezing of their bank loans.

[size=75:18cze4cg]novinite 22 January 2010

Bulgaria Sues Greece over Protesting Farmers

Bulgarian authorities have approached the Court of Justice of the European Communities in Luxembourg in a bid to settle its scores with the Greek protesting farmers who have blocked the border between the two EU countries.

“Bulgaria will seek compensations for the losses that the blockade has incurred to its business,” Prime Minister Boyko Borisov told journalists on Friday. “I warned the Greek authorities that we, as good neighbors, will wait for them to lift the blockade till Wednesday,” he added.

Experts commented that the only way for the Bulgarian companies to get compensations for their losses is to suit individually the Greek state at a Greek court.

A complaint at the European Commission or even a victory over the Greek state in Luxembourg will not secure compensations to the Bulgarian transport companies, lawyers commented.

Greek farmers blocked roads leading to the Bulgarian border on Monday to press demands for higher prices for agricultural products. Cars and trucks carrying goods to destinations ranging from Poland to Italy are stranded on both sides of the border.

Earlier this week the Bulgarian and Romanian agriculture ministers appealed to the European commission to help end the roadblocks.

Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov accused authorities in neighboring Greece of not doing enough to clear roadblocks by protesting farmers brought to a standstill traffic across the border between the two European Union nations.

A year ago thousands of farmers blockaded main roads across the country, intimidating Costas Karamanlis’s conservative government into coughing up a EUR 500 M package of support and incurring huge losses to Bulgarian companies.