Farmers in Romania, Bulgaria protest Ukrainian grain influx

By STEPHEN McGRATH and ANDREEA ALEXANDRU
Associated Press

BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) — Farmers in Romania and Bulgaria are protesting over the European Union’s response to a glut of agricultural products from Ukraine that they say are flooding local markets and undercutting prices. About 100 farmers converged Friday in Romania’s capital, Bucharest, outside an EU Commission office building, while hundreds more protested across the country in long convoys of tractors. In neighboring Bulgaria, grain producers have blocked some border crossings with farm vehicles. In the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the EU waived customs duties and import quotas on Ukrainian grain and other imports to help facilitate transport to third-country markets.