EU, Russia seek breakthrough in Poland food embargo talks

EU Health Commissioner Markos Kyprianou and Russian Agriculture Minister Alexei Gordeyev said on Saturday they were seeking a breakthrough toward a deal for Moscow to lift its embargo on Polish farm products.

"Let's hope we will reach some outcome this evening, and see how we proceed," Kyprianou told reporters during a break in their talks in the coastal city of Limassol in his native Cyprus.

"We've identified issues and the areas we should concentrate on. Now it's a question of agreeing procedure and steps that should be taken to solve the problem as soon as possible," he said.

Gordeyev said: "We are trying to identify solutions and that process will continue tonight."

Asked if he was optimistic, he said: "Just as in the past, we are in a position to identify mutual acceptable solutions for both the Russian Federation government and the EU Commission. We are quite confident to do so today as well."

In Brussels, EU officials have voiced optimism that Russia can be persuaded to lift its embargo on Polish farm products so that talks can begin on a new partnership agreement with Moscow.

On Tuesday the European Commission sent the latest in a string of letters to Moscow seeking to clear up lingering concerns over the safety of Polish meat and other foodstuffs.

Russia, which accuses the Polish authorities of lax practices over food safety standards, imposed its embargo in November 2005 but Warsaw argues the ban is a politically motivated move against the former Soviet satellite state.

The row has taken on wider proportions since Warsaw vetoed the opening of talks between the European Union and Russia on a new partnership agreement in retaliation over the embargo.

That new broad economic cooperation agreement will be aimed, among other things, at securing a reliable flow to Europe from Russia's massive oil and gas fields.

The existing partnership agreement runs out late this year, but EU officials stress it can be extended in the absence of a new deal.

After the meeting on Saturday, being held on an informal basis, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is to hold talks with EU officials on the sidelines of an EU foreign ministers' meeting in Luxembourg on Monday.

An EU-Russia summit will take place on May 18 in the eastern Russian city of Samara.

Source: eubusiness.com