All Common Market Members Agree on East Bloc Food Ban
The 12 members of the European Economic Community agreed Monday to ban imports of fresh foods from the Soviet Union and six Eastern European countries within a 640-mile radius of the Chernobyl nuclear plant, a senior official said.
“There is an agreement,” said Willy de Cler, an official in charge of the Common Market’s foreign trade relations. “It will be published (in the official register) as soon as possible.” The ban goes into effect upon publication.
The ban on fresh foods imports from Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia, Poland and the Soviet Union was first proposed last Tuesday.
On Saturday, after five days of negotiations, the Common Market announced that all members agreed to it, but Italy later said it had been misunderstood and would not participate.
The Italians said they would not approve the ban until the Common Market reached agreement on radiation standards for food traded within the Western European bloc.
De Cler said Monday the import ban will go into effect regardless of whether the other issue is resolved.
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