EU Imposes New Tariffs on Russian and Belarusian Agricultural Products

The Council of the European Union has introduced new tariffs on Russian and Belarusian agricultural products and fertilizers to reduce European countries' dependence on Russian and Belarusian imports and reduce the Russia's budget revenues and its ability to finance the war against Ukraine.

The Gaze reports on this with reference to the press service of the EU Council.

The new duties will take effect on July 1. The EU Council noted that the duties were imposed on goods that were not previously subject to additional duties.

The implementation of these tariffs will be monitored to ensure the protection of the EU fertilizer industry and farmers. The increase in fertilizer tariffs will take place gradually over a three-year transition period.

Once the legislation enters into force on July 1, EU duties will apply to all agricultural products from Russia. The new tariffs will apply to goods that accounted for about 15% of total agricultural imports from Russia in 2023. As for fertilizers, the new tariffs will apply to certain nitrogen-based products.

In addition to weakening Russia's war economy, the new tariffs will help reduce the EU's dependence on Russia and Belarus and encourage diversification and domestic production. This will diversify supplies, ensuring a stable supply of fertilizers, and will also strengthen the EU market for local farmers.

In 2023, fertilizer imports from Russia accounted for more than 25% of the Union's total imports in this sector, amounting to approximately 3.6 million tons worth €1.28 billion.

On January 28, 2025, the European Commission proposed this trade measure for approval in order to weaken Russia's war economy, as well as the economies of third countries involved in the aggression against Ukraine.

As The Gaze reported earlier, in May, the European Parliament adopted a new regulation imposing sharply increased tariffs on agricultural products and fertilizers imported from Russia and Belarus, effectively shutting their access to the EU market.