The Commission today (9 August) welcomed Russia's confirmation that it has cancelled an import ban on fresh EU vegetables, almost two months after the source of a serious outbreak of E.coli was identified.

According to Russian agency Interfax, consumer protection chief Gennady Onischenko said: "I took a decision to lift all the restrictions on imports of vegetables from the European Union from Tuesday, August 9.”

"On top of that a special regime that required an issuance of special certificates for each shipment of vegetables is also being lifted," Onishchenko added.

In a written statement, Health and Consumer Policy Commissioner John Dalli welcomed the decision taken by Moscow and said it was in compliance with an agreement reached between European Commission President José Manuel Barroso and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev at the 10 June EU-Russia summit.

Dalli explained that – under the agreement – the temporary certification system introduced by Russia for imports of fresh EU vegetables would be applied for up to ten days after no new human cases of the E. coli were reported by EU Member States. The last such case was reported on 27 July, according to Dalli.

It has taken Russia almost two months to lift the ‘vegetable embargo’. Germany isolated the deadly E.coli bacteria to contaminated bean sprouts grown at an organic farm in the north of the country on 12 June.

In his statement Dalli said: "Whereas the Commission remains vigilant and committed to learn the lessons of the crisis that has caused so much suffering, it is of course welcome that this development represents the successful outcome of intense efforts to sort out this trade issue that emerged as a result the E. coli outbreak."

The diplomatic language belied a long negotiation which has seen tempers frayed. Commission spokesmen have expressed profound dissatisfaction that the lifting of the import ban – agreed between Presidents Medvedev and Barroso at the summit – was not effected earlier.

In a recent statement, EU Trade Commissioner Karel De Gucht linked Russia's handling of the E.coli controversy with the country's bid to join the World Trade Organisation (WTO).