EU increases import tariffs on Russian agricultural products

LUXEMBOURG (ANP) – “This reduces Russia’s ability to finance its brutal war,” said Polish Minister Michał Baranowski (Economy and Trade).

The import duties on agricultural products for which they did not previously apply will come into effect on July 1. In 2023, the EU imported 380 million euros worth of agricultural products from Russia, for which higher import tariffs will apply. The import from Belarus that year was valued at 92 million euros.

The tariff increases for fertilizers will be implemented gradually. A transition period of three years applies to this.

With the first increase, there will be an additional 13.5 percent on top of the current duty of 6.5 percent.

In 2023, EU member states imported nearly 1.3 billion euros worth of fertilizers from Russia and 29.6 million euros from Belarus.

The current import of agricultural products and fertilizers to which the new tariffs will apply, “is a form of dependency on the Russian Federation,” the Commission believes. It wants to eliminate this to prevent the EU’s food security from being jeopardized. The Commission also fears that the import of fertilizers could fall prey to “possible coercive measures” from Russia.

The EU member states have adopted the Commission’s proposal unchanged.

(June 12, 2025)