Komkommercrisis veroorzaakt onrust tussen verschillende EU-lidstaten (eu)
EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - Accusations and counter-accusations continue to be exchanged across Europe as the region struggles to tackle a lethal outbreak of enterohaemorrhagic E.coli linked to contaminated cucumbers, which has so far left 14 people dead in Germany.
Hundreds more are sick due to the highly-virulent bacterial strain, with confusion over the exact source prompting heath experts to predict a further rise in numbers. Suspected cases of sickness have been reported in Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Britain, the Netherlands, Austria, France and Switzerland.
EU agriculture ministers discussed the situation at an informal meeting in Hungary on Monday (30 May), while in Brussels a European Commission spokeswoman said authorities had identified cucumbers from the Spanish cities of Almeria and Malaga as possible sources of contamination.
A third batch of suspect cucumbers, thought to have originated from either the Netherlands or Denmark and traded in Germany, is also under investigation, said commission spokeswoman Pia Ahrenkilde Hansen.
Spanish officials have refused to accept the blame however.
"From the beginning, in Germany, Spanish cucumbers have been named as responsible for this situation. We must say that it is not true and we must demand that the German authorities wrap up their investigation immediately," said Spanish agriculture minister Rosa Aguilar, speaking from Madrid.
"The image of Spain is being damaged, Spanish producers are being damaged and the Spanish government is not prepared to accept this situation."
The results of further investigations are expected this Tuesday or Wednesday, but a swathe of European states have already moved to restrict vegetable imports.
Russia has banned tomato, cucumber and salad imports from Germany and Spain, while the Czech Republic and France are among states to have taken some Spanish-grown cucumbers off shop shelves.
Austria and Belgium have also restricted sales of Spanish and German-imported cucumbers, while the Netherlands has halted all shipments of the watery vegetable to Germany.
The World Health Organisation meanwhile described the outbreak as "very large and very severe", urging EU countries to work together to identify the source of the problem.
"Almost all cases being reported in other countries have a link to travel or residence in Germany," noted WHO food safety expert Hilde Kruse.
In Germany, a medical expert warned that the number of bacterial infections may rise in the coming days. "We hope the number of cases will go down but we fear it will worsen," said Oliver Grieve of the University Medical Centre Schleswig-Holstein, where many patients are receiving attention.
If left untreated, enterohaemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC) can lead to full-blown haemolytic uraemic syndrome (HUS), a disease that causes bloody diarrhoea, serious liver damage and even death.