GLOBAL FOOD SECURITY
Dombrovskis, talking on Friday, mentioned: “At this time’s proposal will choke off one other necessary income for the Russian authorities to fund its unlawful battle of aggression towards Ukraine.”
The tariffs had been additionally to be imposed on merchandise from Belarus, which served as a staging floor for Russia’s all-out invasion of Ukraine.
The proposal follows a rise in Russian agricultural imports into the EU in 2023, in accordance with the fee.
The tariffs would goal imports of cereals, oilseeds and derived merchandise from Russia and Belarus, making use of at a stage of both 95 euros (US$103) per tonne or 50 per cent of the worth, relying on the product.
“Our proposed prohibitive tariffs will make imports of those merchandise commercially unviable,” Dombrovskis mentioned.
“It’s going to additionally assist put a cease to the Russian follow of illegally exporting stolen Ukrainian grain into the EU”, Dombrovskis mentioned.
Beneath World Commerce Group guidelines, nearly all Russian grain has till now been exempt from EU import duties.
Regardless of sanctions taking intention at big swathes of Russia’s financial system, the EU till now averted concentrating on the farm or fertiliser sectors for concern of destabilising the worldwide cereal market and undermining meals safety in Asia and Africa.
“We’ve been cautious to uphold world meals safety,” Dombrovskis mentioned, including that the transfer “won’t have an effect on the transit of Russian and Belarussian grain merchandise to 3rd international locations.”
Russia final yr exported 4.2 million tonnes of cereals and associated agricultural merchandise to the EU, for a complete worth of 1.3 billion euros. Belarus imported 610,000 tonnes, with a price of 246 million euros.
