BRUSSELS, August 18 (RIA Novosti) – The European Commission has allocated from the European Union’s budget 125 million euros ($167.4 million) to the producers of a range of perishable fruits and vegetables over the Russian ban on food imports, according to a press release published Monday.
“These measures will apply until the end of November with a budget foreseen of €125 million,” EC Agriculture and Rural Development spokesman Roger Waite said in the press release.
“Taking into account the market situation following the Russian restrictions on imports of EU agricultural products, with effect from today, I am triggering CAP [Common Agricultural Policy] emergency measures which will reduce overall supply of a number of fruit and vegetable products on the European market as and when price pressures become too great in the coming months,” EU Agriculture and Rural Development Commissioner Dacian Ciolos was quoted as saying in the same press release.
On August 6, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a bill on economic measures to protect the country’s security. The decree went into effect the next day, effectively banning the import of agricultural and food products from countries that had imposed sanctions on Russia over the Ukrainian crisis for one year.
The list of banned products includes meat, fish, poultry and milk products, nuts, fruits and vegetables, but not infant foods or goods.
