BELGRADE, August 20 (RIA Novosti) – Serbia is focusing on the fight against attempts to re-export banned food products to Russia, a representative of Serbia’s Chamber of Commerce (CCI) told RIA Novosti.
Serbia is one of the few European countries not affected by an embargo on the import of food products which Russia introduced in response to Western sanctions. The list of banned items includes beef, pork, vegetables, fruits, poultry, cheese, nuts, dairy among others.
However, there is information that dozens of manufacturers from EU countries, including Poland, are trying to circumvent the ban by putting their products on the Russian market under the guise of being Serbian.
"The fight against re-exports is raised to the top level. We have created an inter-ministerial coordination center to promptly solve the problems. We are in constant contact with the customs office to remove all questions. Dishonest suppliers will be sanctioned," senior CCI councilor Dejan Delic said.
CCI representatives are holding regular meetings with suppliers of agricultural products to clarify the requirements of Russia’s Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Supervision (Rosselkhoznadzor) and regulations of the Customs Union on food safety.
"We are in constant contact with the Russian authorities to organize the export of quality products to Russia, and weprovide in-depth information to the companies that are interested in exporting to Russia," Delic said.
This week, Serbian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign and Domestic Trade Minister Rasim Ljajic said that due to EU sanctions and Russia’s response to them, Serbia could increase its exports of food products to Russia from $172 million in 2013 to $300 million in 2014.
