Sofia, 18 September 2023 (dpa/MIA) - Farmers in Bulgaria have set up temporary blockades on motorways and access roads to borders with Romania and Greece on Monday to protest lifting the EU import ban on Ukrainian grain, according to media reports.

On Friday, the European Commission decided to end import restrictions on grain products from Ukraine. On Thursday the Bulgarian parliament voted to to lift the import ban, parting ways with Poland, Hungary and Slovakia who said they will keep it in place.

Controls on Ukrainian grain allowed eastern EU members, Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia and Romania, to limit trade in products such as wheat, maize, rapeseed or sunflowers from Ukraine on their markets.

Agricultural sector representatives in Bulgaria set up road blocks to protest against the decision to let the ban expire. Farmers fear competition from cheaper imports.

Demonstrators said they plan to travel to the capital Sofia with their agricultural machinery on Tuesday to continue their action.

They are demanding that Bulgaria continue the controls on Ukrainian grain products as well as a ban on imports of cooking oil, fruit and vegetables, dairy products, meat, livestock and honey from Ukraine.

Bulgarian Prime Minister Nikolai Denkov, however, said on Sunday, in reference to the protests, that he would "not negotiate with terrorists."

Last week's Bulgarian lifting of the ban - ahead of the European Commission - came from the pro-Western majority in parliament, which secured 124 out of 240 votes, with eight abstentions according to the BTA news agency.

Photo: EPA