But eels and shrimps from China are still banned from the EU market except for those caught in the Atlantic.

The commission will formally approve the proposal and implement it "soon," said the delegation in a press release.

This is a good news for both Chinese producers and European consumers, said Ambassador Klaus Ebermann, head of the commission delegation to China.

European consumers will be able to have high-level protection and a guarantee of safety when they buy fish, he said.

The EU banned imports of Chinese poultry, rabbit meat, honey, mollusks, pet food and crustaceans such as frozen shrimps and prawns in January this year.

The ban was triggered by a customs inspection that reportedly found 24 batches of Chinese frozen shrimps contaminated with the forbidden antibiotic chloramphenicol.

Chinese trade officials said that the European Commission had spread the ban to a level that went beyond sanitary needs.

China and the EU have negotiated on the issue and they set up a mechanism to exchange information.

The European Commission has been lifting its ban gradually. It allowed some seafood imports in June and ended enhanced entry inspections on some seafood.

The latest decision was based on information and legal guarantees provided by the Chinese side, said commission officials.

Eels and shrimps are still banned because of the difficulties in telling whether they have been farmed or are from the wild.

(China Daily December 19, 2002)