During the vote in the European Parliament in Brussels on 22 May, EU lawmakers voted overwhelmingly for the introduction of progressive tariffs on nitrogen fertilizers from Belarus and Russia, starting from 1 July, reports the Belarusian service of Radio Liberty.
Thus, the European Union has made an important step forward in eliminating imports of nitrogen fertilisers from Russia and Belarus, but Moscow and Minsk will not immediately feel the consequences. The current 6.5% tariff on fertiliser from the two countries will remain, but duties of between €40 and €45 per tonne will be added by mid-2026.
With these customs tariffs, trade is expected to continue, but they will gradually rise to €430 per tonne in 2028, making it uneconomic to buy fertiliser from Belarus and Russia.
In 2023, the EU imported 3.6 million tonnes of nitrogen fertiliser worth €1.28 billion from Russia. This accounted for 25% of the bloc’s total imports, making Russia the largest exporter to the EU. The upward trend continued last year, with 4.4 million tonnes of Russian fertilisers delivered, or 30% of total imports.
The volume of fertiliser trade with Belarus is small, just €30 million last year. But Brussels decided to focus on it because of the close political and economic ties between Minsk and Moscow, as well as to prevent the supply of Russian fertilisers through Belarus if the customs regime is not synchronised.
The proposal, agreed on 22 May, would also increase EU tariffs on Russian and Belarusian agricultural products such as sugar, vinegar, flour and animal feed by 50%.
On 28 January, the European Commission approved a proposal to impose tariffs on a number of agricultural products from Belarus and Russia, as well as on some nitrogen fertilisers. The aim is to reduce dependence on imports from Russia and Belarus. Such imports, especially of fertilisers, leave the EU vulnerable to potential coercive action by Russia and pose a threat to EU food security.
The increase in tariffs on agricultural goods from 0% or low rates to 50% will affect, among others, meat and meat by-products, dairy products, cereals, fruit, vegetables, oils and fats, coffee, tea, cocoa, sugar, confectionery.
It is also planned that Belarusian and Russian goods will be excluded from the customs quotas of the European Union. This will prevent their supply with lower tariffs.
The restrictions, according to the proposal of the European Commission, are introduced because the EU’s dependence on Russian fertilisers exceeded 25% in 2023, which “poses a threat to the stability of the EU market.”
“Belarusian exports of agricultural products and fertilisers, although less significant (totalling €92 million and €29.6 million respectively), are included in the sanctions mechanism to prevent the illegal transit of Russian products through Belarus,” the document says.
The new restrictions are part of a broader policy of economic pressure on Russia and Belarus for supporting the war against Ukraine. Imports of Belarusian and Russian goods covered by the regulation are expected to virtually cease as a result of the new duty.
The European Union plans to replace supplies through its own production or alternative suppliers. As for fertilizers, it could be, for example, Algeria and Egypt.
The tariffs are expected to be introduced four weeks after the publication of the regulation.