Brussels, 22/07/2015 (Agence Europe) - On Tuesday 21 July, the Russian authorities declared that flowers produced in the Netherlands represent a sanitary “threat” to Russia.
Russia is therefore planning to introduce an embargo on flowers from the Netherlands. According to the Russian authorities, Dutch flowers could be banned because the harmful organisms they contain pose a serious threat to the country's economy and agricultural production. The Netherlands is the biggest exporter of flowers in the world, with 10 billion Dutch tulip bulbs produced every year (70% of the world total). Since August 2014 Russia has banned imports of a number of products including dairy products and fruit and vegetables from European Union member states, in retaliation to EU economic sanctions relating to the Ukraine crisis. (Lionel Changeur)