EU Prepares New Duties On Products From Belarus

The EU no longer wants to pay Lukashenko's regime.

The European Parliament Committee on International Trade approved a 50 percent increase in duties on a number of agricultural products from Russia and Belarus on Thursday, May 15. The products in question are those that until now have not been subject to any customs duties, among them sugar, vinegar, flour and livestock feed, DW reports.

European MPs also supported the imposition of 6.5 percent duties on fertilizers from Russia and Belarus, plus additional levies of 40-45 euros per ton during 2025-2026. By 2028, these duties will rise to €430 per tonne.

The European Commission made such a proposal in late January, and after a positive decision by the parliamentary committee on international trade, the bill should be approved by the plenum of the European Parliament at a meeting on May 22.

EU no longer wants to pay Moscow and Minsk

The income that Russia and Belarus receive from fertilizers in Brussels is considered a direct contribution to the war against Ukraine. "A regulation to gradually increase customs duties on products from Russia and Belarus will help prevent Russia from using the EU market to finance its war machine," said the European Parliament's permanent rapporteur on Russia, Inese Weidere.

She finds it unacceptable that more than three years after Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine began, the EU is still buying critical goods in large quantities from that country. "In fact, these imports have increased significantly," the MEP said.

The volume of EU imports of urea and nitrogen fertilizers from Russia, already large in 2023, has increased significantly in 2024. The European Commission calls this situation economic dependence on Russia and believes that without proper intervention it could harm EU food security and, especially in the case of fertilizers, make the EU vulnerable to possible pressure from Russia.

Objective: to reduce EU dependence on supplies from Russia and Belarus

The EU aims to reduce dependence on supplies from Russia and Belarus and expects that the new measures will significantly reduce the volume of imports into the EU of the above-mentioned goods originating or exported directly or indirectly The law will also boost EU fertilizer production affected by cheap Russian imports and give farmers time to adapt.

The bill also instructs the European Commission to monitor and take measures to mitigate price rises that could harm the EU's internal market and agricultural sector.

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