MOSCOW, August 8 (RIA Novosti) – Polish authorities are planning to file a complaint with the World Trade Organisation (WTO) over Russia’s ban on agricultural imports from the European Union, Reuters reported Friday citing Poland’s Agriculture Minister Marek Sawicki.
"We couldn't file a complaint earlier, because we only received the first official correspondence [about the ban] on Wednesday, before that we only had the information provided by the media," the minister said.
Earlier, Sawicki said Moscow’s response to Western sanctions could make it very difficult for Poland to get compensation from the European Union for Russia’s embargo on fruit and vegetable imports.
Starting August 1, Russia’s agricultural watchdog Rosselkhoznadzor imposed a ban on all fruits and vegetables imported from Poland, citing numerous breaches of certification. According to the Polish Ministry of Agriculture, the country may lose more than $500 million due to the embargo.
On Thursday, Russia imposed a one-year ban on agricultural and food product imports from the countries that have imposed sanctions on Moscow over the Ukrainian crisis, namely Australia, Canada, the European Union, the United States and Norway. The list includes meat, poultry, fish, seafood, milk, dairy products, as well as fruits and vegetables.
Russia is one of Poland’s key markets. In 2013, Poland exported over 804,000 tons of fruit and vegetables to Russia.
