EU-Russia summit overshadowed by Polish-Russian meat dispute
EU backs Poland in row
The summit meeting between the European Union and Russia began at Helsinki’s House of the Estates on Friday morning. High on the agenda of the meeting will be cooperation on energy matters.
The meeting is being overshadowed by Russia's dispute with Poland over Russia’s decision to ban imports of Polish meat.
Poland is using its veto in the EU to block discussions of a new partnership agreement with Russia at the summit, thus severely limiting the possible results of the meeting.
Other EU member states have backed Poland in the dispute, although there has been some criticism of the way that the country has reacted.
On Thursday, European Commission President José Manuel Barroso criticised Russia’s stance as an "overreaction". He appealed to President Vladimir Putin to put an end to the import ban.
Russia says that meat from Poland falls short of its hygiene standards. Poland sees the reasons for the ban as purely political.
The Commission has investigated Russia’s claims on the quality of Polish meat, and the investigators have come to the conclusion that the import ban is "disproportionate".
Finnish Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen (Centre), who is presiding over the summit, said on Thursday that he is disappointed at the setback to cooperation talks between the EU and Russia. However, he refused to blame Poland for the situation.
Vanhanen said that sensitivities of different EU member states need to be understood to a certain degree. He noted that part of the basic nature of the EU is that member states need help in their difficulties.
"Sometimes these can affect Finland as well, and naturally we will expect others to support us in that situation."
Vanhanen added that the EU is willing to go "quite far" to support Poland in its dispute with Russia. However, the Union does not have the jurisdiction to resolve the dispute, he noted.
He pointed out that Finland and the other member states felt that Poland would have been helped best if the cooperation talks had begun at the summit.
Vanhanen feels that now it is important for the "dust to settle" for a few weeks, and then see if there are new elements that would allow the 25 member states to reach a consensus on a mandate for the negotiations. He also said that Finland would still try to resolve the dispute during its turn at the EU Presidency, which runs out at the end of the year.
Commenting on reports that Russia would be planning a wider ban on food imports from all EU countries when Romania and Bulgaria become members, Vanhanen said that he does not believe that such a move has ever been seriously proposed. He also noted that some EU countries, including Poland, have difficulties in meeting quality standards for food products, which is why products of some Polish production facilities have not been acceptable on the EU market.
The European Commissioner for Enlargement, Olli Rehn, called the Russian threat "disproportionate", especially in light of the fact that Romanian and Bulgarian pork will not yet have access to the EU market because of their shortcomings.
More on this subject:
 SATURDAY: EU-Russia Summit agrees on Siberia overflights, but not on bigger issues
Previously in HS International Edition:
PM Vanhanen says Cyprus dispute must be resolved in early December (21.11.2006)
Prime Minister Vanhanen to Poland to discuss dispute over Russia (17.11.2006)
Helsingin Sanomat
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