Balkan Developments

Farmers' road blockades continue in Greece

Greek farmers are continuing their mass protests that began on November 30. They blocked key roads in the country with agricultural machinery, including ports and even state borders with Bulgaria, North Macedonia and Turkey. In an attempt to stop the blockades, the police used tear gas against the protesters, but to no avail. Negotiations between the protesters and Agriculture Minister Konstantinos Tsiaras followed, at which no agreement was reached. A meeting between the protest leaders and Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis is planned for next week, BNR correspondent Katya Peeva has reported.

Students, construction workers, teachers, pensioners are also joining the farmers in the blockades. In many places farmers are handing out their produce to waiting drivers. The impression is that all of Greece supports the protest, opposition MPs who met with the farmers said. The reason for the dissatisfaction is the delay in the payment of agricultural subsidies due to an investigation into a scandal involving the illegal distribution of EU funds for agriculture.

Chinese companies are building a new bridge over the Sava River in Belgrade

Chinese companies are working on the construction of a new bridge over the Sava River in Belgrade, but important information about the contracts, the selection of a contractor and the terms of the project remains unavailable to the public, BGNES writes. The new facility is being built on the site of a steel bridge from 1942, which was dismantled in July. Parts of the new structure are being manufactured at a plant run by state-owned China State Construction Engineering. According to Serbian Minister of Finance, Siniša Mali, the bridge should be completed by the end of 2026. The project is the latest one in Serbia to be entrusted to Chinese companies based on an intergovernmental agreement between Belgrade and Beijing. The contractor is the Chinese state-owned corporation PowerChina, which is also involved in other large infrastructure projects in Serbia.

The basic family consumer basket in Croatia is 486 euros

In November 2025, the basic basket of food and hygiene products for a family of four in Croatia reached an average of 486.07 euros, or 2.51 euros more in comparison to October, according to the monthly survey by the price comparison portal koliko.hr, conducted in cooperation with the Croatian Association for Consumer Protection. The basic basket contains 51 items and covers modest but balanced monthly needs of a household.

The portal has also calculated the price of a standard basket, which includes a wider selection of food and hygiene products (77 in total) and reflects the actual consumption habits of Croatian families. In November, its price reached 721.34 euros for a family of four. The president of the Croatian Association for Consumer Protection, Ana Knežević, points out that the situation of single pensioners is the most complicated. They can afford to buy only half of the standard basket for one person.

Türkiye ranks first in Europe in terms of expanding its forest area

According to a report by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, forests cover 32% of the Earth's land area. The largest area of forests is in South America, where the Amazon rainforest is located. Among countries, Turkey ranks fourth in the world and first in Europe in terms of expanding its forest area over the past 10 years, Anadolu Agency has reported. The country is expanding its forest area by 118 thousand hectares (0.5%) annually.

Cyprus' traditional wine Commandaria secures UNESCO heritage status

Commandaria wine has been included in the UNESCO List of Intangible Cultural Heritage, the website of the Cypriot government announced. The decision was made during the 20th session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, held in Delhi, India.

Deputy Minister of Culture of Cyprus Vasiliki Kassianidou said that this is an important decision for Cyprus, for its culture, as well as for the villages producing the wine. She pointed out the dedication of the winegrowers from the 14 villages producing "Commandaria" to uphold the centuries-old tradition passed down from generation to generation.

Cyprus has seven elements in the UNESCO List of Intangible Cultural Heritage: Lefkaritika lace (2009), Tsiattista folk songs (2011), the Mediterranean diet (2013), dry-stone walling (2018), Byzantine chanting (2019), midwifery (2023), and Commandaria (2025).

Compiled by: Miglena Ivanova