Emergency meeting at the Greek government residence “Maximum“ on the ongoing protests of farmers and livestock breeders will be held this morning, the state television ERT reported, quoted by BTA.
The meeting will be chaired by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, and will be attended by Deputy Prime Minister Kostis Hadzidakis and Minister of Agrarian Development and Food Costas Tsiaras.
It is noted that an informal meeting on agricultural issues took place on Sunday afternoon against the backdrop of the decisions of the protesting farmers to escalate the protest actions.
The state television also recalls the government's thesis that some of the agricultural demands have already been satisfied, while another part of them is in the process of being processed, and that a dialogue should be held.
At a national meeting in Malgara near Thessaloniki, which lasted almost four hours, the protesting Greek farmers, who have been blocking roads in the country since the end of November, gave the government until Wednesday inclusive to meet their main demands, Sky TV reported yesterday. Otherwise, according to information, they are threatening to intensify their protest actions on Thursday and Friday and to undertake a complete blockade of the highways, bypass roads and all border crossings in Greece for 48 hours.
The protests of Greek farmers began at the end of November due to the delay in the payment of agricultural subsidies as a result of a corruption scandal in the Greek agricultural payments agency OPECEP. However, their demands also include minimum guaranteed prices, additional reductions in electricity and fuel prices for agriculture, etc.