First introduced last year in response to the Russian ban on the import of EU agri-food products, today's decision follows Russia's decision to extend its restrictive measures for a further 12 months. Today, the Commissioner responsible for Agriculture and Rural Development, Phil Hogan said: "The significant actions taken to date by the European Union have demonstrated the solidarity of the EU with farmers most affected by the Russian ban. These actions also played an important part in mitigating the effects of the ban. Now, with the ban prolonged, we need to continue to provide a safety net in order to give security to producers who continue to face difficulties in relation to the ban".
The measure approved today covers a wide range of products and reference volumes have been allocated to Member States on the basis of exports to Russia in the 3 years prior to the ban, with an additional quantity of up to 3 000 tonnes for all Member States.
More information on the safety net measures and the EU responses to the Russian import ban on agricultural products is available online.
