Possible solution in sight in meat dispute between EU and Russia

PM Vanhanen: This is testing the Union's solidarity

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Finnish Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen, who presided over the EU summit meeting in Brussels on Thursday, believed that the ongoing dispute over meat imports between the EU and Russia might well be resolved shortly.
      "It is a matter of a couple of months' delay. We will make use of these days - after all, the President of Poland is here", Vanhanen said.
      Nevertheless, after having negotiated with the Poles in the afternoon, Vanhanen did not dare to promise an immediate solution.
      "For the time being we do not have a solution. This will take some time", the Finnish PM told the media at a late-night press meeting.
     
The dispute centres on the export of Polish meat to Russia. Russia has imposed a blanket ban on imports of meat from Poland. According to the Russian side, meat from Poland does not meet with the Russian quality requirements.
      Poland, in turn, has vetoed the start of the new cooperation pact negotiations between the EU and Russia. Poland sees the meat import ban as a purely political action.
     
The quarrel has been of particular annoyance and embarrassment to Finland, which had declared improving the relationships between the EU and Russia as one of the main goals during its six-month EU Presidency, now entering its last two weeks.
      The situation has threatened to worsen, for Russia has already proposed bilateral agreements with individual EU states on food safety. The member states could continue selling foodstuffs into Russia, if they signed a guarantee agreement on the safety of their products.
      "There is no basis for bans of any kind", European Commission President José Manuel Barroso stated.
      Russia has defended its viewpoint by saying that it does not trust the safety of the food industries in Bulgaria and Romania, which will join the European Union next year.
      The Union, however, will not allow meat products to be imported into other member states from either one of these countries. There have also been Russian allegations that meat imported from China has been passed through Poland and sold to Russia as Polish beef or pork.
      In the dispute Poland has called for solidarity from other member states, and on Thursday it seemed to receive just that.
      "We have to work as a team, as a union. In fact, this is a good test for our solidarity. I expect the member states to support one another", Vanhanen declared.
     
According to a Polish diplomat, the situation may well be resolved quickly.
      "All countries have expressed solidarity with us. We do not want to be EU troublemakers. Our veto was in fact a cry of despair", said Andrzej Krawczyk, Polish undersecretary of state for international affairs, on the margins of a two-day summit of EU leaders, according to reports by news agency AP.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  SATURDAY: EU-Russia Summit agrees on Siberia overflights, but not on bigger issues (24.11.2006)
  EU-Russia summit overshadowed by Polish-Russian meat dispute (24.11.2006)

Links:
  EU Presidency site

Helsingin Sanomat