EU Introduces New Tariffs on Agricultural Products and Fertilizers from Russia and Belarus

The Council of the European Union has approved the implementation of additional tariffs on agricultural products and fertilizers imported from Russia and Belarus. Until now, some of these goods were not subject to increased duties.

This is reported by AgroReview

Purpose of the New Tariffs and Expected Impact

The main goal of the implemented measures is to reduce the EU countries’ dependence on imports from the Russian Federation and Belarus. Additionally, it is expected that the new tariffs will decrease revenue to the Russian budget and, consequently, reduce its ability to finance aggression against Ukraine. At the same time, these decisions will promote the development of domestic agricultural production in EU countries.

“Compliance with these tariffs will be closely monitored to ensure the protection of the European fertilizer industry and agricultural producers. The increase in tariffs on fertilizers will occur gradually, with a three-year transition period,” the statement notes.

Key Changes and Statistics

The new rules will come into effect on July 1, 2025. From that date, EU tariffs will apply to all agricultural products arriving from Russia. Approximately 15% of the total agricultural import volume from Russia to the EU in 2023 has been included in the list of goods subject to the new tariffs.

Regarding fertilizers, in 2023, the volumes of products now subject to tariffs accounted for about 25% of all imports in this category from Russia to the EU. This amounts to approximately 3.6 million tons, valued at 1.28 billion euros.