EU and Russia reach deal on meat imports

The EU and Russia have solved a trade deadlock, averting a Russian ban on all EU meat imports in January 2007.

Moscow had threatened to block EU meat imports when Bulgaria and Romania join the EU in January because of alleged concerns over public health.

The breakthrough was achieved after lengthy talks in Moscow between EU consumer protection commissioner Markos Kyprianou and Russian agriculture minister Alexei Gordeyev.

"We managed to resolve this issue because we share the same concerns and have the same target, which is to reduce risks but at the same time maintain trade,” Kyprianou said after the meeting.

But the two men did not succeed in resolving the more contentious issue of Russia’s ban on Polish food imports.

The ban, which was imposed over a year ago, has caused political trouble in the EU in recent weeks with Poland refusing to sign onto the EU-Russia trade deal in retaliation.

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