November 24, 2006

EU official: Russia's threat to ban imports of EU meat excessive

Russia's threat to ban imports of European Union meat is excessive and will affect the outcome of Friday's (Nov 24) EU-Russia summit, the bloc's chief expansion official said.

"This is a political game in which the aim is to create pressure, but there are no factual grounds for this kind of action," EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn said Thursday. "It is a disproportionate threat...and there is the danger that it will (water down the outcome) of the summit."

Rehn, who spoke to Finnish broadcaster MTV3, was responding to Moscow's threat to ban all animal product imports from the EU from Jan 1 because it says soon-to-be members Bulgaria and Romania have poor animal health standards.

European Commission spokesman Philip Tod told reporters in Brussels of the Russian threat just two days before a summit of EU leaders and Russian President Vladimir Putin, to be held in Finland, which holds the rotating presidency of the 25-member bloc.

"Finland, as the EU president, will strive to find a solution to the problem, although it continues to be a very difficult situation," Rehn said in the television interview Thursday.