Strasbourg, 17/12/2001 (Agence Europe) - The European Mediator, Jacob Söderman, had recommended that the European Commission considers amending two decisions from February and March 2000 authorising the import of Russian reindeer meat, in the light of the results of a new inspection carried out in Russia. The recommendation follows the investigation into alleged Commission bias in the procedure that gave rise to the two decisions (taken after an inspection in Russia led by the Commission's Food and Veterinary Office. The Ombudsman launched his investigation following a complaint by the Finnish Association of Reindeer Herdsmen which markets reindeer meat (most of it produced from animals in captivity) which is highly prized in Scandinavia.
The European Ombudsman's investigation found that Norrfrys of Sweden (the main company receiving the imports in question, in the order of 2000 tonnes a year) and its Director General had been involved in the inspection by organising a dinner, reserving hotels and flights and providing a temporary fax line, an interpretation service and inspection vehicles. This manner of organising an inspection is rather surprising in that the Food and Veterinary Office is supposed to only work with the Commission's delegation and the authorities of the country in question. The Commission admitted that the inspection had not been carried out in the normal manner, but noted that without the company's help in organising the mission and facilitating the task, it would have been impossible for the inspection to take place. The Ombudsman believes that the company's involvement in the inspection procedure on site is not compatible with the Commission and its staff's duty of impartiality and therefore questions the validity of the decisions. He calls on the Commission to respond to his recommendation by 31 March 2002.