Important obstacles to the trade of fruit and vegetables between the European Union and Russia have been removed, after Moscow aligned some of its maximum levels for pesticide residues (MRLs) with EU and international standards.
The development provides more favourable conditions for European exporters of vegetables and fruit, including apples and pears, grapes, citrus and stonefruit.
The EU said in a statement that following a number of requests, supported by scientific evidence, the Russian Federation had agreed to amend its MRLs for fruit and vegetables, with the amended Russian law entering into force in early June.
Prior to the alignment, the European authorities claimed that some of the Russian MRLs for fruit and vegetables had been “excessively strict”, arguing that “unnecessary restrictive measures” were imposed on EU exports of these products.
However, the statement said that European and Russian Federation scientific bodies had now reached a common understanding concerning the necessary safety levels of pesticide residues for fresh produce.
The EU said the alignment was “expected to improve conditions for trade of fruit and vegetables between the EU and the Russian Federation”.
In 2009, the value of trade of these products was €2.3bn euros, with the figure mainly accounted for by European exports to Russia.
The EU said that the dialogue on harmonisation of Russian norms with European and international food safety standards would continue, adding that the Union had submitted a number of other requests for alignment.
