Farmers block borders in protest over EU subsidy scandal

Farmers in northern Greece defied a government warning on Wednesday and blocked traffic at multiple border crossings, escalating protests over long-delayed EU-backed subsidy payments following revelations of widespread fraudulent claims.

Convoys of tractors obstructed routes leading to North Macedonia, Bulgaria, and Türkiye, forcing motorists to take lengthy detours. Farmers also staged demonstrations over the weekend, blocking roads in several regions.

While farmer protests are common in Greece, the latest unrest was triggered by delays in subsidy payments after the exposure of extensive fraud involving EU agricultural funds. The scandal led to the June resignation of five senior government officials and the gradual shutdown of a state agency responsible for handling agricultural subsidies.

Michalis Chrisochoidis, the Minister for Public Order, said this week that the government remained open to dialogue with protest leaders but warned that it would not tolerate disruptions at major transit points, including ports and railway hubs.

Dozens of individuals have been arrested across Greece in recent weeks for allegedly submitting false claims, following an investigation by the European Public Prosecutor’s Office. At the end of October, the EU agency described the case as part of “a systematic large-scale subsidy fraud scheme and money-laundering activities.”

Greece’s farming sector has faced mounting challenges this year, including the subsidy delays and an outbreak of goat and sheep pox that resulted in the mass culling of livestock.

Protest organizers vowed on Wednesday to intensify their actions, urging the government to accelerate reforms to the agricultural subsidy assessment system.

“The poorer we get, the more determined we become. There is no turning back. We must resolve these problems or there is no future for us,” said Kostas Tzelas, a member of the national blockade committee based in central Greece, speaking to the Associated Press.

“The money was stolen by opportunists,” he added. “The state should recover those funds and return them to the farmers.”