Brussels, 30/07/2014 (Agence Europe) - On Wednesday 30 July, Russia decided to ban imports of fruit and vegetables from Poland and said it is considering extending its ban to imports from anywhere in the European Union. The Russian government explains that the decision is because of the repeated breaches of certification and quarantine rules and will come into force on 1 August. Moscow warned on Monday that it may restrict imports of products from EU countries because of the discovery of the presence of an insect pest (see EUROPE 11131). Russia has already used this “weapon” twice in recent months - against Ukraine and Moldova. The measures look like Russia's reaction to the new sanctions issued by the EU on 29 July against the Russian economy, blocking access to the European financial market for Russian banks and companies and banning the sale of arms and sensitive technology. The EU sanctions come into force on 1 August. (LC)