Bulgarian companies again demand re-opening of Ilinden-Exohi border crossing to lorries

On August 25, representatives of traders, road hauliers and agriculture companies from the South Bulgarian region of Gotse Delchev are planning to gather near the Bulgarian-Greek border. This is the second protest they are staging to demand that heavy goods lorries be allowed through Ilinden – Exohi checkpoint. They threatened roadblocks and effective protests if that did not happen.

The representatives of the companies from the region are adamant that they are suffering huge losses due to the closed Ilinden-Exohi checkpoint, because it is a longer route , takes longer to get to Kulata border checkpoint, from where they can enter Greece, and thus the trips become more expensive. Some of them say they have lost partners they worked with in Greece. They insist on the quick intervention of the Bulgarian authorities.

"On August 6, we sent a letter to the Foreign Ministry and the EC Representation in Bulgaria. For me, this situation with closed border crossings is catastrophic. I trade entirely with companies from neighbouring Greece. I buy raw materials from there and export the finished product to Greece. I have contracts," businessman Krastyo Veselinkov said.

"We have imports from and exports to Greece, which are currently severely hampered. The closure of the border crossing leads to very expensive products; difficulties in deliveries and delays. There are hauliers that refuse to work and deliver to Greece due to additional kilometres they have to travel and due to waiting time Kulata checkpoint, " Stanislav Shehinov said.

The road hauliers describe as absolutely illogical the closing of Ilinden-Exohi checkpoint, because at Kulata border crossing drivers also are not required to present negative test for coronavirus. Carriers are adamant that if the Ilinden Border Crossing Point remains closed in the winter, the passage through Papaz Chair, which connects Sandanski and Gotse Delchev, will become almost impossible and this would kill their business.

The road through Papaz Chair is very difficult for lorries and makes journeys longer. There was an accident 10 days ago. The losses are huge, about BGN 20,000 in one month, said Georgi Vitanov.

To express their dissatisfaction, the road hauliers will gather today at 5 pm in the area of ​​the village of Gspodintsi, on the road leading to the closed border checkpoint "Ilinden - Exohi".

In connection with the organised protests on August 25 demanding the re-opening of the Ilinden-Exohi checkpoint at Bulgaria’s border with Greece, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that it has not stopped urging the Greek authorities to do so, fully supporting the fair demands of the Bulgarian carriers for the immediate restoration of the right to free movement of persons and goods within the European Union.

Under the guidance of Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Ekaterina Zaharieva, two meetings were held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs with the acting Head of the Greek Embassy Markos Tripolitakis - on August 24 and on August 20. During the talks with the Director General for European Affairs Rusi Ivanov and the Director of the Common Foreign and Security Policy Directorate Veselin Djankov, the Bulgarian side stressed that the closure of the Ilinden-Exohi border checkpoint on July 22 has a negative effect on business on both sides of the border, especially in the context of the economic crisis caused by COVID-19.

The representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs pointed out that in recent weeks the spread of COVID-19 in Bulgaria has decreased significantly, in contrast to the epidemiological situation in Greece, where the number of infected is growing.

The Bulgarian side also recalled the guidelines of the European Commission, announced on August 7, which should serve as a basis for all decisions to introduce new restrictive measures between EU member states. They provide for a better coordinated approach between the parties, allowing citizens and the business community to have clear information and better security when planning their trips and transport. It was emphasized that Greece should follow these instructions and notify Bulgaria in advance of planned restrictions on the border crossing regime.

To date, the Foreign Ministry has not received a response to the requests.

The issue of facilitating the movement between Bulgaria and Greece in the conditions of coronavirus was raised during the visit of Deputy Prime Minister Ekaterina Zaharieva in Athens

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