The EU Commission tries to ensure that the Russian Federation won't impose a ban to imports of meat products from Romania and Bulgaria in 2007 once these countries are EU members, EUobserver reported.

Russian authorities have informed the EU Commission on 20 November that there are concerns related to meat exports from the EU and announce their intention to ban products from Romania and Bulgaria.

Brussels has answered that it won't see this measure as "justified or necessary" as the EU has taken all necessary measures on food safety related to these EU accessions.

EU Commission experts ensured that all the food safety rules have been put in place and transitional measures are foreseen in order to ensure that no health threats are coming from Romanian and Bulgarian products.

Due to a high risk of swine fever, Romania would be forbidden o export pork for a period of nine months after accession. Bulgaria may face the same measure, EU Commission spokesman Philip Tod explained.

"In all other respects, the Commission is fully satisfied with the implementation and the enforcement of European food safety and animal health law in Romania and Bulgaria", Philip Tod added.

But the EU Commission cannot really help Poland's case whose exports of meat to Russia have been banned for a year.

Brussels does not have a competence in the external exports of EU member states and therefore considers the Russian - Polish dispute as a bilateral issue.

This bilateral issue is nevertheless blocking the new partnership agreement between EU and Russia as Poland is vetoing the EU mandate of negotiations with Moscow.

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