Hardline farming unions have agreed to meet with Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, accepting strict government conditions—including the cancellation of a mass rally in Athens—to break a weeks-long deadlock over production costs.
The decision, reached at a nationwide assembly in Palamas, marks the first significant de-escalation since tractor blockades began choking national highways.
Government sources expect the high-stakes meeting to take place either Friday or Monday.
While Mr. Mitsotakis had insisted that dialogue could not proceed under the threat of disorder, the farmers’ coordinating committee ultimately accepted the government's terms.
These include maintaining open roads and limiting their delegation to 25 representatives and five observers, dropping an earlier demand for a larger, dual-committee format.
The breakthrough follows days of mounting tension.
Farmers reviewed Mr. Mitsotakis’ recent remarks warning that the state had reached the “limits of its tolerance” before voting to engage.
The protests in Greece echo similar unrest spreading across Europe, driven by high energy prices and climate-induced crop failures.
The upcoming session will be the first direct encounter between Mr. Mitsotakis and the most militant protest blocs since the mobilizations began.
Officials reiterated that while the government is open to finding solutions, “economic activity must not be disrupted” as negotiations move forward.