Since Wednesday morning, Rural Development Minister Costa Tsiaras’s cellphone has been ringing off the hook. Several agricultural trade unionists were calling him and urgently asking him to have a meeting with the Panelladic Committee of Blockadesin order to find a formula to defuse the situation and bring the mobilizations that have lasted a month and a half to a conclusion.

Among those who called Mr. Tsiaras were “tough” agro-syndicalists of Kampos and Northern Greece, who, of course, yesterday morning in repeated appearances on TV channels, accused their colleagues who had gone to the Megaro Maximou as “eager” and “convenient”, but now they too were claiming to enter the positive picture the announcement of additional measures to support the primary sector.

In government circlesit is a firm belief that Kyriakos Mitsotakis’s meeting with the 25 farmers and livestock farmers, which resulted in a meaningful dialogue and improvement interventions on rural electricity, oil, income replacement, and support for livestock farmers, acted as an accelerator of developments.

Mr. Tsiaras contacted Kyriakos Mitsotakis several times, while in their communications with the blockade “agro-patriots,” he described the framework set by the government: 25 representatives from the entire farming community, not 35, no suspects among themselves, and of course, a debate with the streets open.

It is the fulfilment of the last condition that will “unlock” the timing of the meeting of the agricultural trade unionists with Mitsotakis. Provided the roads are opened, as happened during the holidays (with the tractors on the side), then a possible date is Friday. If the farmers play… delays, then the government will be in no hurry to see them, and we will go by Monday, in any case, before Mitsotakis leaves for Davos next week. The announcement on the final timing of the meeting will be made either by Costas Tsiaras or government spokesman Pavlos Marinakis at the briefing.

“There are no more measures”

Of course, the blockade “hardliners” may be descending on Athens proclaiming that they will discuss with the prime minister “for their survival”, but the government’s basket is in fact… empty. There may be some additional points of convergence on technical or institutional issues, but the extra money concerning the regulation of electricity, agricultural oil, the damage subsidy for those who grow clover, and the support of livestock farmers have already been discussed at the meeting held on Tuesday afternoon, and the “hardliners” of the blockades were absent.

The issue of livestock farming is, of course, still open, given that a special discussion between Mitsotakis and representatives of the sector is pending, probably the week after next, and apparently, a discussion can be held on this. But the government rejects out of hand the maximalist demands of a section of agricultural trade unionists.

Besides, Mitsotakis attributes partisan considerations to the “agrotopateras,” and he spoke in high tones in the previous days about their actions and their decision to “snub” the third invitation he had addressed to them. However, the Mansion House did not close the door to dialogue and did not proceed with the administrative measures for the tractors, realizing that the blockades are starting to “creak” and many trade unionists want to leave anyway.

In this light, the government is also offering a prospect of an exit to the “hardliners”, some of whom would have liked to have talked to the government earlier. But there is also a lack of understanding in their ranks. It is moreover indicative that yesterday they went into the All-Party Meeting with a line of escalation and came out with a decision for dialogue.