Russian embargo on Polish meat is 'discrimination': Barroso

(BRUSSELS) - Moscow's embargo on Polish meat amounts to discrimination, EU Commission head Jose Manuel Barroso said Thursday, adding he hoped the row can be swiftly solved and EU-Russia partnership talks begin.

"We have conducted very objective assessments of the situation," Barroso told a conference in Brussels.

"We believe there are no reasons for the ban. It's a discrimination. We don't feel it's fair," he added. "We in Europe have the highest consumer protection standards in the world. We would not allow Polish meat to be circulated in Europe if we thought it didn't respect those standards."

Russia's embargo on Polish meat imports is at the heart of a deepening political crisis between Moscow and Brussels.

Moscow imposed the import ban at the end of 2005, alleging breaches of food certification rules in Poland.

EU member Poland, a former Soviet bloc state, believes the move is political and has blocked the start of talks over a new EU-Russia partnership accord, deemed essential to ensure a reliable oil and gas supply from Russia.

Barroso said he hoped the matter could be resolved quickly. "We are working with the Russians," he said.

"There are so many important questions" to be discussed and agreed with Moscow.