European Parliament moves to cut Russian agro-imports with new tariffs

Members of the European Parliament have given their backing to a European Commission proposal to impose tariffs on the entirety of agricultural imports from Russia, in a move aimed at reducing the bloc’s reliance on Russian goods and safeguarding EU industries from unfair competition.

The vote was held during a mini-session of the European Parliament in Brussels, where lawmakers approved the measure that will see gradual tariff increases on a range of Russian agricultural goods, including sugar, vinegar, flour, and animal feed.

According to the statement by the European Parliament, tariffs are expected to climb to €430 per tonne by 2028.

The legislative effort is part of broader sanctions targeting Russia and Belarus, initiated amid ongoing concerns over the financing of Russia’s war against Ukraine. The European Commission first put forward the plan on January 28, 2025, proposing that not only agricultural products but also certain nitrogen-based fertilisers imported from Russia and Belarus be subjected to tariffs.

Inese Vaidere, the standing rapporteur for Russia from the European People’s Party (Latvia), emphasised the geopolitical and moral impetus behind the measure. “The regulation gradually increases customs duties for products from Russia and Belarus will help to prevent Russia from using the EU market to finance its war machine,” she said. “It is not acceptable that three years after Russia launched its full-scale war, the EU is still buying critical products in large volumes. In fact, these imports have risen significantly.”

Vaidere also underlined the importance of protecting the EU's agricultural and fertiliser sectors. The regulation, she noted, will provide a buffer for European fertiliser producers harmed by the flood of cheap Russian imports, while also giving farmers time to adapt. The proposal includes monitoring mechanisms that will allow the Commission to track developments in the fertiliser market and intervene if prices spike.

The European Commission clarified that the newly imposed tariffs will not interfere with Russian exports destined for third countries that merely transit through EU territory.

The Commission has argued that the core objective of the policy is to reduce strategic dependence on Russia and Belarus for essential agricultural and chemical goods. It also aims to strengthen the EU’s internal production capacity, particularly in the fertiliser sector, which has faced significant disruption during the recent energy crisis.

Data cited by the Commission indicates that imports of urea and other nitrogen-based fertilisers from Russia remained high in 2023 and rose sharply again in 2024. This surge reflects a growing economic dependency that, if left unchecked, could jeopardise the EU’s food security and expose the bloc to potential political or economic blackmail by Moscow.

By Tamilla Hasanova