EU hits Russian grain imports with tariff hike, countries call for further restrictions

European Union countries greenlighted a sharp increase in tariffs on Russian and Belarusian grain on Thursday (30 May) in a move aimed at halting imports of these products to member states.

“The new tariffs set today aim to stop the imports of grain from Russia and Belarus into the EU in practice,” said Belgium’s finance minister, Vincent Van Peteghem. “This is yet another way in which the EU is showing steady support to Ukraine,” he stated.

EU diplomatic sources told Euractiv that the regulation was approved with support from an overwhelming majority of members states, with only Austria voting against the text and Hungary abstaining.

The European Commission unveiled the proposal last March. The regulation targets imports of cereals, oilseeds, and derived products, from Russia and Belarus, to prevent “destabilisation” of EU markets.

The Commission said the tariffs do not affect exports to countries outside the EU to preserve global food security.

EU imports of Russian grain have significantly been above the five-year average since the start of the war in Ukraine in 2022, with Italy, Latvia and Spain as the top importers, according to European Commission data.

In February, Latvia approved a unilateral ban on the import of agricultural products from Russia and Belarus until 2025, allowing only their transit.

The new EU measure also wants to end imports of grain produced in Ukrainian territories appropriated by Russia, preventing Moscow from using revenues from cereal exports to fund its war of aggression, said Van Peteghem.

The Council’s press release noted that there is evidence that Russia is “illegally appropriating” large volumes of such products in occupied territories of Ukraine, routing them to its export markets and labelling them as Russian.

Following the endorsement of EU countries, the regulation implementing the tariffs will enter into force on 1 July.

“Our commitment to global food security also remains steadfast, ensuring that developing countries are not negatively affected by these measures,” said the EU’s trade chief, Valdis Dombrovskis. “We will maintain this support for as long as it takes,” he added.

Countries call for more restrictions

During today’s meeting, a group of countries called for further measures. Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Lithuania and Sweden backed a statement presented by Latvia demanding restrictions on other Russian agricultural products.

In a draft version of the document seen by Euractiv, the delegations called on the Commission to continue discussions with member states and to present “as soon as possible” a proposal covering a “broader range of products” from Russia and Belarus.

“It is in the EU’s common interests to ensure import restrictions are as broad and strict as possible to, among other things, alleviate the EU agricultural community’s concerns about the risk of market destabilisation,” read the text.

[Edited by Angelo Di Mambro/ Rajnish Singh]

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