January 15 (SeeNews) - Romania's government is holding a series of negotiations with representatives of protesting farmers and truckers, it said on Monday, aiming to address their grievances over congestion at border crossings, diesel fuel excise and motor insurance policies, as protests entered their sixth day.
Prime minister Marcel Ciolacu has convened a cabinet meeting on Monday to prioritise and adopt measures to support farmers and truckers, the government said in a press release.
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Representatives of the protesters met on Monday for negotiations with the agriculture minister Florin Barbu, the ministry said in a press press release.
"I am with our farmers to find the best solutions to all their problems, we have support programmes in place for most sectors of agriculture to ensure that we have quality production," said Florin Barbu.
Protesters are demanding the Romanian government to implement agricultural development strategies to help them cope with rising costs and taxes. They are also requesting the government to renegotiate subsidies for farmers and allow them to produce under the same conditions as Ukrainian farmers, Agerpres news agency reported last week.
On Saturday, the transport ministry said its representatives met with protesting farmers and truckers and proposed within the next 30 days to establish dedicated lanes for EU trucks at borders and the seaport of Constanța, set tolerance limits for excessive truck load and require forwarders to present financial risk insurance or a bank guarantee at the borders.
Protesters have also been demanding the government to cap the price of the mandatory third party liability insurance and allow transport companies to recoup a portion of fuel excise tax, according to media reports. Protesters have also been asking the government to ease access of Romanian trucks to the Port of Constanta, crowded by a large flow of Ukrainian trucks.