Russia is considering the possibility of allowing twenty companies from Hungary, Cyprus and Greece to return to the Russian market, despite an embargo that his imposed on EU products, reports the Interfax new agency.
According to the head of Russia’s Federal Agency for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Supervision Sergey Dankvert, a number of Hungarian, Cypriot and Greek producers could return to the Greek market. Additional producers could be included in this list over time. The Russian official noted that the certification of Greek suppliers of agricultural products has begun.
The Russian embargo expires on the 7th of August, a year after it was imposed, however Mr. Dankvert commented that it is uncertain as to when it will be lifted, as there were no such discussions taking place. He also hinted that even if the embargo were to be lifted, it does not mean that European will automatically return to the Russian market.
Meanwhile the European Union has threatened to further expand its sanctions against Russia, arguing that Moscow is not doing enough to implement the fragile peace in Eastern Ukraine.
About 6,000 EU companies exported their products to Russia before the embargo was imposed. Following the embargo, many of these suppliers have been replaced by companies from Latin America, Africa, Asia and non-EU European countries, such as Serbia.
