MOSCOW (Reuters) -- Russia agreed on Tuesday to sign a memorandum to allow meat imports from the European Union to continue from Jan. 1, averting a ban that could have hit more than $2 billion of annual trade.

Russian Agriculture Minister Alexei Gordeyev told reporters a year-long ban on Polish meat imports, which is stalling a wider cooperation pact between the EU and Russia, would remain in place subject to discussions in the near future.

"We've agreed to sign a memorandum. Our specialists are now working on the text," Gordeyev said after meeting EU Health and Consumer Protection Commissioner Markos Kyprianou in Moscow. "From January 1, supplies of EU (meat) products ... to the Russian Federation will continue in a normal manner."

Russia had threatened to ban EU meat imports from Jan. 1, citing concerns over animal health in Bulgaria and Romania, set to become full EU members at the start of 2007. It had been pushing for bilateral deals with separate EU countries -- a move rejected by Brussels.

A blanket Russian ban on imports of EU meat, dairy and fish products would have probably hit 1.7 billion euros ($2.23 billion) of annual trade.

"The aim was to find ways to reduce and minimize any possible risk, but at the same time to maintain the flow of trade. I think we have achieved that," Kyprianou said.

The European Commission said in a statement the memorandum could be signed in the 'Green Week' in Berlin on Jan. 18. Asked when the memorandum could be signed, Gordeyev replied: "Tomorrow morning we'll sit at the table and work out the text of the memorandum. Common understanding has been reached and I believe it is purely a technical issue."

Gordeyev, without specifying a date, said separate talks on Polish meat imports would be held soon. "The Polish issue is still on the table," he said.

Poland has said it hopes to drop opposition to talks between the EU and Russia on a new cooperation pact, a veto that Warsaw imposed to try to force Moscow to end its meat ban.

Gordeyev said the European Union had provided guarantees that sub-standard meat products from Romania and Bulgaria, where cases of bluetongue and classical swine fever have been found, would not enter Russia directly or through other EU countries.

Brussels itself tightened rules on imports from the two countries that will restrict milk, meat and animal exports to existing EU member states from Jan. 1.

"It was crucial that a solution was found. I think the Russians also needed our products, so let's see what is in Commissioner Kyprianou's pocket when he returns," EU farm chief Mariann Fischer-Boel said after the meeting.

Of the EU member countries, Germany is the largest meat supplier to Russia, shipping about 173 million euros ($227.8 million) worth of beef, pork, poultry and mutton in 2005, data supplied by the European Commission showed.

Others include Denmark, with total 2005 meat exports to Russia worth nearly 88 million euros; France, with 77 million euros; Spain with 67 million euros, Ireland and the Netherlands.

Poland exported just over 29 million euros' worth of meat to Russia in 2005, before the ban was imposed.