On Monday, Romanian farmers and truckers resumed their protests after negotiations with the government failed on Sunday. These protests are similar to the ones happening in Germany.
Romanians are protesting together with Europe
The demonstrations started on January 10 and have disrupted traffic in various cities, including the capital city of Bucharest. The farmers and truckers are protesting against high taxes and delayed compensation payments, among other grievances.
Over the weekend, the protesters also gathered in border areas, blocking the northeastern border with Ukraine for a short period of time.
Farmers and truckers in Romania are demanding faster payment of subsidies and compensation for those affected by drought or disruptions caused by Ukrainian grain imports.
🚨🇷🇴 Romanian Farmers join the fight!
It’s happening all across Europe – hard working farmers rising up against Global Tyranny & insane Net Zero Taxes purely designed to bankrupt them in order to place their land into state control!
That’s German, Austrian, Dutch, Swiss, French… pic.twitter.com/g6VL3FIrhA
— Concerned Citizen (@BGatesIsaPyscho) January 16, 2024
The truckers are also concerned about increased insurance and tax rates and long waits to cross the border. Some of the protesters were inspired by similar protests in Germany.
Russia’s blockade of Ukraine’s Black Sea ports has made Romania an important transit hub for Ukrainian grain, particularly through the port of ConstanÈ›a. However, this success has angered farmers and transporters who fear being displaced by Ukrainian companies.
The protests began last Wednesday when dozens of truck and tractor drivers from different cities started a slow-moving convoy towards the capital city of Bucharest.
The authorities banned the protesters from entering the city with their vehicles, citing a lack of formal authorization for the demonstration. As a result, several criminal cases have been opened.
After meeting with the ministries of agriculture and transport on Saturday, the protesters had a meeting with the finance ministry on Sunday, but they couldn’t reach any agreement.
“We are at a breaking point,” farmer Danut Andrus told journalists, adding that the protests would continue “until these authorities understand that their incompetence in running the country is real.”
On Monday, German farmers resumed their demonstrations in Berlin against government plans to cut tax breaks for agriculture.
