The European Commission confirmed this week that it has received a formal request from Russia for food aid

Date: 19/11/1998

The EU is planning to send a shipment worth 400 million ecu to Russia, made up of surplus Union wheat, rye, pigmeat, beef, rice and milk powder, but the first shipment is not expected to reach Russia until early next year because of the need to get administrative clearance, including approval from the European Parliament.