Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis made concessions on Tuesday to farming unionists who are threatening to block roads across the country over high production costs.
During a meeting with representatives of farming associations in Athens, Mitsotakis offered tax rebates and other concessions.
However, it remains unclear whether the concessions were enough to appease the farmers, as decisions will be made following regional meetings later on Tuesday.
Rizos Maroudas, a unionist present at the meeting, expressed a desire to continue the protests, stating, “Not all our demands have been met.”
Farmers in various parts of Greece have been staging brief roadblocks, mostly avoiding major highways, as part of their protests.
They have threatened to escalate their campaign if their demands are not met.
The protests in Greece are part of a broader trend in the European Union, where farmers in several countries are demonstrating against inflation, foreign competition, and the costs of addressing climate change.
In response to the protests, Greece’s center-right government has pledged to reduce production costs and expedite compensation payments and tax relief for farmers affected by last year’s deadly floods.
Mitsotakis has promised reduced energy bills and additional tax rebates for farmers, but he cautioned that budgetary constraints limit the government’s ability to increase spending significantly.
– With AMNA
