The European Commission is working on new import tariffs on even more agricultural products from Russia and Belarus. EU Trade Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis has backed requests from EU countries “to impose tariffs on the widest possible range of Russian and Belarusian imports.”
Sweden, Finland, Poland, the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, and Ireland presented the tariff proposal ahead of the EU trade ministers' meeting in Brussels. Dombrovskis said the import tariffs could also include fertilizers, but gave no further details.
Fertilizers containing phosphorus, potassium and hydrogen are crucial for European agriculture. However, their dependence mainly on Russia and Belarus exposes EU to supply uncertainty, which could threaten food security in the region,” the ministers wrote in a letter to Dombrovskis.
According to Polish Radio, so far eight countries have asked the European Commission to impose tariffs on more products from Russia.
In October, EU leaders confirmed their willingness to further limit Russia’s ability to wage war through sanctions and other punitive measures. The tariffs will be part of a broader approach to further increase economic pressure on Russia. For example, EU decided earlier this year to impose a ban on imports of various Russian food products.
The countries pointed out that imports of fertilizers from Russia and Belarus increased by 52% in 2024, which they said creates economic risks and dependency that endangers food security of the EU. In addition, export revenues generate billions of euros for Russia, which could be used for the war against Ukraine.
In addition to the import duties, the European Commission is working on a fifteenth sanctions package, which is expected to be adopted by the end of this year. This package will focus on adding more individuals and entities to the sanctions list, rather than on new economic restrictions.
A sixteenth package, likely to include new customs duties on Russian imports, is expected next year under Poland's EU presidency.