Spain tells Brussels to dig deeper over cucumber slur
Compensation offer for German E. coli accusation deemed "insufficient" by Madrid
The European Commission (EC) on Tuesday said it was amenable to a review of the amount offered to Spain in compensation for losses incurred by German accusations that Spanish cucumbers were the source of the E. coli outbreak in Europe.
The Commission had agreed to pay out 150 million euros for the ill effects on the European horticultural sector, but Environment Minister Rosa Aguilar called the amount "insufficient" and insisted the EC reimburse "90 to 100 percent" of the total losses. "Spain does not consider sufficient an offer amounting to 30 percent of the value of what was lost, and we will protest with clarity." The outbreak has so far claimed 24 lives.
