The EU has slammed Russia over the ban it slapped on Lithuanian dairy products, says newsru.com.
An EU delegation sent a warning to Russian officials during a meeting of the Council for Trade in Goods in the WTO in Geneva.
According to the EU statement, Russia imposed the embargo on Lithuanian dairy products on October 7, but notified the WTO Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures Committee only on October 11.
“It seems to us that the measures are not proportional and are not scientifically justified,” says the EU statement.
On October 7, 2013 Russia banned the imports of Lithuanian dairy products citing multiple violations.
As usual, the announcement came from the head of the Russian consumer rights protection agency, Gennady Onishchenko, who’s been often seen by the West as a tool in food wars that Russia has allegedly waged against its neighbours.
Russia has always claimed it was concerned about safety and quality of foreign made products consumed by Russians.
The residents of Kaliningrad, Russia’s westernmost city, have protested the move.
The region is heavily dependent on neighbouring economies and is very much integrated with them in terms of trade.
The residents fear the ban will put off investors who’ve been generally interested in this EU-oriented market.
Author: Mikhail Vesely