Farmers are demanding accelerated payment of subsidies and compensation to those affected by drought or disruptions caused by Ukrainian grain imports. Meanwhile, truck drivers are concerned about increased insurance rates, taxes and long waits to cross the border. Some participants admitted that they were inspired by similar protests in Germany, according to media reports.
Russia’s blockade of Ukraine’s Black Sea ports has made Romania a major transit hub for Ukrainian grain, especially through the port of Constanta. But the port’s success has angered farmers and transporters who fear Ukrainian companies will replace them.
The protests began last Wednesday, when dozens of truck and tractor drivers from different cities set off in a slow-moving convoy towards the capital, Bucharest. The authorities prevented the demonstrators from entering the city with their vehicles, under the pretext that there was no official permit for the demonstration. Many criminal cases have been opened.
After meeting with the Ministries of Agriculture and Transport on Saturday, the demonstrators met with the Ministry of Finance on Sunday. But no agreement was reached.
“We are at the breaking point,” farmer Danut Andros told reporters, adding that the protests would continue “until these authorities understand that their incompetence in running the country is real.”
Wider disturbances
German farmers on Monday resumed their demonstrations in Berlin against government plans to cut tax breaks for agriculture.
