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| SOCIAL PROTESTS 11/06/2009 |
| (2009-06-11) |
| Last updated: 2009-06-11 14:37 EET |
On Wednesday, hundreds of farmers took to the streets in Bucharest in protest against the current condition of cattle breeding in Romania. They said that this segment is on the verge of bankruptcy, with milk prices going down, while processing plants boast astronomical fees. Romania thus risks turning from a production country into nothing more than a retail market for meat and dairy imported from the EU. Protesters demanded financial support from the Government, on a par with that received by farmers in other EU member countries, in order to keep up with competition. Mircea Ciurea, President of the Cattle Breeder’s Federation, had this to say:
“We ask that the government take measures to protect this sector, as do all other EU countries in these times of crisis. We also demand financial support equal to that given to farmers in other European countries, a suitable economic environment – I am talking about subsidized interest rates of 2-3 percent for investment loans, and support from the state in taking over milk factories that are on the verge of bankruptcy. Thus, farmers’ groups will be able to process the milk themselves, because right now processing plants are closing their doors to more and more farms.”
According to authorities, these demands are not farfetched, but the government has certain restrictions regarding allocable financial aid because of European regulations. After meeting with protesters, Finance Minister Gheorghe Pogea assured that the tax obligations farmers hold to the state will be compensated.
“The Ministry of Agriculture will compensate by paying these debts, totalling at 1.82 billion lei, through the Payments and Interventions Agency in the Agriculture Authority, by the end of June. We will have to find a way in which we can pay these debts, without it being considered state aid.”
Unpaid salaries were another reason why workers took to the streets, this time those from the national railway company. Because they had not received their monthly salaries on time, railway workers from Bucharest and Constanta went on a spontaneous strike, leaving travelers waiting in temperatures of 35 degrees Celsius. We hear from head of the Passenger Transportation Federation Gheorghe Popa:
“Workers from the Railway Station North, as well as other smaller stations around Bucharest, ceased all activity on Wednesday, because they had not received their salaries due May 30th. We learned from talks with the railway company administration that the money had been transferred to the bank, but as a result of technical difficulties, this money hadn’t reached personal accounts. 5 or 6 trains stationed in the Northern Railway Station were delayed, as were 10 other trains en route to various stations. Delays were one hour, one hour and twenty minutes at most.”
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