The European Commission said yesterday that Russia is threatening to ban meat, fruit and vegetables from the European Union due to health concerns once Romania and Bulgaria join the bloc in January.
Reported on official news wires, the threat adds to tensions between the EU and Russia fuelled already by a Russian blockade of meat and vegetables from Poland, an EU member since 2004.
"The EU would regard such a ban as unacceptable and totally unjustified," Philip Tod, a commission spokesman, said. "We're confident that Russia will understand this once we've explained our position fully."
Russia bought €5.25 billion ($6.7 billion) of meat, grain, dairy products, fruit and vegetables from the EU, Romania and Bulgaria in 2005, according to the commission, the 25-nation EU's executive arm.
Bulgaria and Romania combined for just one per cent of European trade with Russia in the products. But Russia needs the EU's support to join the World Trade Organisation.
The commission has offered to send a delegation to Moscow in order to deal with Russian health and safety concerns, Tod said.
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