A strike by Greek customs officials has slowed the road traffic on the borders with Macedonia to a trickle, media in Macedonia and Serbia said Wednesday.
The main border crossing, at Evzoni/Gevgelija on the E75 highway between Belgrade and Thessaloniki has been closed since Monday, DPA reported.
Greek officials have been allowing passenger vehicles to pass for 15 minutes every two hours, but no lorries. Serbian reports quote tourists travelling to Greece as saying that they had to wait several hours to cross the border.
Alternative, smaller crossings, at Dojran to the east and Bitola to the west, have been swamped by travellers trying to avoid the blockade.
In Serbia, the motorist association AMSS recommended alternative routes to Greece, through Bulgaria. Serbian tourist agencies have already rerouted their buses to avoid border crossings in Macedonia.
Greek labour unions launched a general strike on Tuesday to protest austerity measures proposed by the government in order to avoid bankruptcy.