European Union food safety experts have tightened rules on Bulgaria and Romania to restrict their milk, meat and animal exports into other EU countries from January 1, the European Commission said on Monday.

Member state veterinary experts voted in favour of transitional arrangements for Bulgarian meat and milk establishments, and an additional measure for third country products imported into two countries before 1 January 2007.

Under the new measures the dispatch to other member states of meat and milk products will be restricted to those Bulgarian establishments, which are currently authorised to export to the EU. The Bulgarian companies that are not authorised to export meat and milk products to other EU states after EU accession will have to wait at least another year to do so.

No more than 34 Bulgarian milk-processing and 26 meat-processing establishments meet the criteria and will be allowed to export their produce.

"A recent inspection visit to Bulgaria by the Food and Veterinary Office (FVO) found that certain meat and milk establishments still did not meet the necessary EU food safety standards. Therefore, as for other acceding states, a transitional period will be given to Bulgaria to upgrade its establishments to the proper standards," a statement of the European Commission reads.

According to the commission the transitional period will give the authorities the opportunity to improve the traceability systems for products of animal origin.

From 1 January 2007, and throughout the transitional period, any establishment fulfilling the appropriate standards will be visited by FVO inspectors and if the necessary guarantees are given, will also be allowed to dispatch its products to other member states. During 2007, the measures and the list of establishments will be regularly reviewed.

The experts also agreed that Romania and Bulgaria may not export goods to the EU market after using products of animal origin imported from non-EU countries.

The decision of the EU food safety experts came just as Prime Minister Sergey Stanishev and Agriculture Minister Nihat Kabil inaugurated veterinary and phyto-sanitary control facilities at the Kalotina border checkpoint.

The EU executive move apparently aims to please Moscow and make a step towards resolving the dispute over meat imports.

After a ban on Polish meat product, officials in Moscow said the reason for their planned EU-wide ban - which encompasses dairy and fish products, in addition to meat - was lax veterinary standards in Romania and Bulgaria.

EU and Russian officials are scheduled to meet on Tuesday in a bid to reach an agreement over the dispute.

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