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Member countries have agreed to impose tariffs on Russian and Belarusian fertilizers

by AI | 14.Mar 2025 | Europe in brief AI

Unlike sanctions, which are adopted by member states unanimously, the decision on tariffs required only a qualified majority – 15 countries constituting 65 percent of the total EU population. Hungary alone could not block it.

Combine harvester in the field. Photo: Sergey Bobok/AFP

The ambassadors of the EU member countries have agreed to impose tariffs on Russian and Belarusian fertilizers, an EU source said on Friday. Some agricultural products will also be subject to tariffs. Once imposed, the entire import of agricultural products from Russia will be subject to EU tariffs.

The Polish presidency will now be able to proceed to negotiations with the European Parliament; after they are concluded, a final decision will be made. EU diplomats hope that an agreement can be reached in this half of the year when Poland holds the presidency of the EU Council.

Despite the imposition of 16 sanction packages on Russia due to its invasion of Ukraine, the import of fertilizers from this country and its ally Belarus not only continued but even increased – in the first eight months of 2024 by 52%, bringing in 1.2 billion euros in revenue.

Unlike sanctions, which are adopted unanimously by member countries, the decision on tariffs required only a qualified majority – 15 states representing 65% of the total EU population. Hungary alone could not block it.

Poland, along with Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia, raised at the EU forum that although fertilizers, especially those containing phosphorus, potassium, and hydrogen, are crucial for the European agricultural sector because they ensure high production and crop stability, the EU’s dependency on the import of these goods exposes the Community to supply uncertainties, which could threaten food security in the region.

As a result, at the end of January, the European Commission proposed imposing tariffs on Russian and Belarusian nitrogen fertilizers, as well as on a range of agricultural products that were not previously subject to higher tariff rates. In total, they accounted for 15% of the import of Russian agricultural products in 2023. (03/14/2025)