- Farmers have entered week four of protests over unpaid EU subsidies.
- Strategic roadblocks are back, carefully calibrated to hurt just enough.
- Holiday travelers get a temporary pass. Trucks, not so much.
- Negotiations have stalled. Patience has not merely run out; it has packed up and left.
For a fourth consecutive week, Greek farmers continue their mobilizations over delayed European Union subsidy payments and a growing list of grievances that no longer fit neatly into press releases. Today marks another escalation—not dramatic, not chaotic, but methodical in the way only people who have waited too long can manage.
In central Greece, farmers gathered at the Nikaia roadblock near Larissa. This location has evolved into a kind of protest headquarters. From there, they announced plans to move toward the Tempe tunnel complex on the Athens–Thessaloniki highway, one of the country’s most critical transport arteries.
The message is clear: if you want to be heard, stand where the traffic cannot ignore you.
Blocking the economy, not the holidays
The planned action is precise. From 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., trucks will be stopped. Private cars and buses will pass through. This is not accidental kindness; it is tactical restraint.
Farmers have publicly committed to ensuring uninterrupted travel for holidaymakers, rearranging their tractors at the Nikaia junction to reduce disruption for private vehicles. The economy, however, is fair game.
It is a careful calculation. Hit logistics. Spare families. Let the pressure climb without turning public sympathy into collateral damage.
In western Thessaly, farmers in Karditsa have adopted a similar approach. Starting Tuesday, they plan to leave one lane open in each direction on the E-65 highway, again citing the holiday period as a temporary truce. The lull, however, comes with an expiration date.
No one is packing up.
A protest with structure
This is not an emotional outburst. It is a sustained campaign with rules, coordination, and a calendar.
Farmers have been clear about what they want:
- Payment of delayed EU subsidies
- Clear timelines, not reassurances
- Policy changes that acknowledge rising production costs and climate losses
What they have received so far are meetings, statements, and invitations to negotiate—none of which pay fuel bills or repair flood-damaged fields.
Authorities expect blockages to resume immediately after the holiday period, a prediction based less on intelligence and more on the visible fact that farmers are not going anywhere.
Negotiations that went nowhere
The government has attempted to defuse the situation. Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis extended an invitation to dialogue. They were rejected.
Not postponed. Rejected.
Farmers have shown no willingness to compromise at this stage, arguing that negotiations without concrete commitments are merely a delaying tactic. In rural Greece, trust erodes quickly when deadlines are missed, and payments arrive late—or not at all.
From their perspective, talks have become a loop. Promises are made. Seasons change. Costs rise. The money does not arrive.
Why does this keep escalating
Delayed subsidies are the spark, but not the fire.
Over the past year, farmers have faced:
- Increased fuel and energy costs
- Flood damage with slow compensation processes
- Rising prices for fertilizers and animal feed
- Regulatory pressure without matching financial support
The result is a sector that feels cornered, watched, and quietly abandoned. Blocking roads is not the goal. Being impossible to ignore is.
And so the protests persist—not loud, not chaotic, but immovable.
What this means for travelers and transport
For now, private vehicles and buses can pass through affected areas with minimal disruption, particularly during the holiday period. Freight transport, however, should expect delays, rerouting, and sudden stoppages, especially near Larissa, Tempe, and along the E-65.
This balance—protecting public movement while squeezing commercial flow—is intentional. It keeps the public on side while forcing policymakers and industry to pay attention.
After the holidays, that balance may shift.
No compromise, no exit
There is no visible off-ramp yet. Farmers are not escalating randomly; they are escalating patiently. That may be the most unsettling part for authorities.
This is not a protest burning itself out. It is one way to conserve energy.
As one organizer put it privately, “We are not blocking roads because we enjoy it. We are here because waiting quietly did not work.”
Week four. Still standing and still blocking. Still unpaid.
