Brussels, 18/02/2014 (Agence Europe) - Russia is violating the rules of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and those of the OIE (World Organisation for Animal Health, known by its French acronym), and the European Union is not ruling out taking the matter to the WTO, said the European Commissioner for Health, Tonio Borg, after the Agriculture Council on Monday 17 February.
In January, Russia set in place an embargo on supplies of pork meat from the EU, due to outbreaks of classical swine fever detected in boars in Lithuania and Poland.
"We are not ruling out the possibility of taking the matter to the WTO, but I hope that it will not be necessary to do that", said Tonio Borg, at a press conference. He added that what Russia is doing (embargo on pork meat from the entire EU) "violates WTO rules". Mr Borg continued: "I hope that it will not be necessary to take the matter before the WTO. There will be a meeting on 20 February at the level of Russian and European experts. I hope that this will allow us to reach a solution".
There have been 600 cases of classical swine fever in Russia compared to two cases in the EU, the Commissioner stated. The outbreaks discovered in boars in Lithuania occurred very close to the border with Belarus. Poland discovered a boar carrying the virus 900 metres from the border with Belarus. The origin of this epidemic is clear, said the Commissioner, implicitly referring to Russia. Tonio Borg wants Russia to apply the principle of regionalisation (a ban which would not affect the whole EU, but only the areas affected: six districts in Lithuania and one in Poland). "The assessment of the risks must not be exaggerated and must not be added to with considerations which have nothing to do with science", he stressed.
The idea of closing the border between Belarus and the EU? Tonio Borg is not keen on this idea of a barrier, which would "not be effective", he said. "That comes from fiction policy", the Commissioner joked. "We have been very patient. The price of pork is falling in Europe but rising for Russian consumers", Mr Borg concluded. (LC/transl.fl)