Brussels, 22/05/2008 (Agence Europe) - The European Commission is contemplating European safeguard measures against all imports of sunflower oil from Ukraine to prevent any risk of cargoes contaminated by hydrocarbons from entering the EU. The Commission's decision should be taken on Friday 23 May.
Although it says it is pleased with measures taken by EU member states for withdrawing products contaminated by mineral oil from the market since 23 April (date when the adulterated oil alert had been given by France via the EU's early warning system), the Commission has not gained all the guarantees that it expected from Kiev by the buffer date of 20 May. It was the discovery, on 19 May, in Greece, of a further sample of adulterated oil in a batch not belonging to the 40,000 tonnes discovered end April that had reactivated the affair.
“The important thing is to ensure that there will be no exports of oil to the EU. We have called for written guarantees and technical information. On 21 May in the evening, we received a number of guarantees but we have not received all the information. Talks are underway. We are planning safeguard measures”', Nina Papadoulaki, who is spokesperson for European Health Commissioner Androulla Vassiliou, told the press. (L.C.)