Our sandwiches scared the Europeans //Photo from Segodnya newspaper
According to the European Commission regulation 2006/2009 of March 5, 2009, the import ban applies to meat and dairy products and 'related' products: fats, lard, sausages, dumplings, canned food, pastes, spaghetti, pasta, noodles, lasagna, vegetable mixes, sauces, condiments, mustard, soups, broths and other products containing meat ingredients or corresponding fillings. Also on the black list are cheeses, yogurts, ryazhenka, ice cream and other products whose main component is milk.
In case of non-compliance, the prohibited products will be confiscated and the violator will be forced to pay a fine. The amount of fines is set by the EU countries at their own discretion.
The EU authorities explain such harsh measures as concern for livestock and residents of Europe. 'Products of dairy and meat origin pose a threat to the health of livestock raised in the EU. They can cause diseases that are also dangerous to human health,' the EU press release states.
Meanwhile, as Gazeta.Ru was told at the EU delegation in Russia, customs officers of EU countries will not interfere with the transport of dry milk formulas, baby food and special food for people or animals required for medical reasons. The weight of such products must not exceed 2 kg, they must not require refrigeration before consumption and must have factory packaging (the integrity of the packaging must not be broken).
EU visitors are also allowed to import fish and seafood with a total weight of up to 20 kg, and oysters, mussels, snails and olives with fish filling with a total weight of up to 2 kg.
The EU delegation clarified that the ban does not apply to bread, cakes, cookies, chocolate and other products in which milk or meat is not the main ingredient.
The ban will not apply to those arriving in the EU from Croatia, Greenland, Iceland and the Faroe Islands. However, the total weight of products they import must not exceed 10 kg. The restriction also does not apply to products transported between the 27 EU member states and Andorra, Liechtenstein, Norway, San Marino and Switzerland.
According to experts interviewed by Gazeta.Ru, the ban imposed by the EU should not affect domestic tourists traveling to Europe. 'Our tourists usually do not take any special products with them,' explained Dmitry Davydenko, head of the Russian Club for the Protection of Tourist Rights. According to him, only auto tourists and independent travelers accustomed to planning their diet in advance and going on vacation with their own provisions may be among those affected by the innovations. However, as the expert believes, the number of such tourists is small, and it is unlikely that the problems they may encounter will in any way affect the overall situation in the tourism industry.
As lawyers note, the tourist is obliged to comply with the legislation and entry rules of the host country. The implementation of these rules belongs to the sovereign function of a foreign state. Therefore, it is quite difficult to talk about a violation of the rights of our citizens by this action: those products that are prohibited from being carried in luggage are available in stores in the host country, believes lawyer Dmitry Lesnyak.
However, the lawyer emphasized that if information about these restrictions is not provided by the company that sold the tourist product, the tourist has the right to contact the travel agency with a demand for compensation for losses incurred, of course, if they are properly documented.