Sweden, Finland, Poland, the Baltic states Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, and Ireland have proposed the tariff plan ahead of the meeting of EU trade ministers in Brussels. Dombrovskis said that the import tariffs could also include fertilizers but gave no further details yet.
Fertilizers containing phosphorus, potassium, and hydrogen are crucial for European agriculture. But the dependence on them especially from Russia and Belarus exposes the EU to uncertainty about supply. This can pose a threat to 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 for tariffs on more products from Russia.
In October, EU leaders already 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 increase economic pressure on Russia. For example, earlier this year the EU decided on an import ban on various Russian food products.
The countries pointed out that imports of fertilizers from Russia and Belarus increased by 52% in 2024, which according to them leads to economic risks and dependency that endangers the EU’s food security. Moreover, the export revenues generate billions of euros for Russia, which may potentially be used for the war against Ukraine.
In addition to import tariffs, the European Commission is working on a fifteenth sanctions package, expected to be adopted by the end of this year. This package will mainly focus on adding more persons and entities to the sanctions list, and not on new economic restrictions.
A sixteenth package, which will likely include the new customs duties on Russian imports, is expected next year under the Polish EU presidency.