The European Commission has today proposed (22.324) that the European Commission impose prohibitive customs duties on imports of cereals, maize, sunflower oil and cereals from and from . The imposition of customs duties on agricultural products from Russia and Belarus, including wheat, maize and sunflower oil, according to the statements of the Vice-President of the European Commission, Vladis Dobrovskys ‘will not affect the transit of Russian and Belarusian cereal products into third countries’. This decision was made to prevent Russia from using export revenues to the EU – both Russian and illegally owned Ukrainian cereal products – to finance its aggressive war against Ukraine. As Russia exported to the EU such products worth around EUR 1.3 billion in 2023, these EU duties will cut off another important source of profit for the Russian economy and, consequently, the Russian war machine. With Belarus included in this measure, the EU will prevent Russia from using Belarus to circumvent the new tariffs and channel its products into the EU market. European Commission President Ursula von der Leien said: “We propose the imposition of duties on these Russian imports to mitigate the increasing risk to our markets and farmers. They will reduce Russia’s ability to exploit the EU for the benefit of its war machine. And we maintain our commitment to maintaining global food security, especially for developing countries. We are achieving the right balance between supporting our economy and rural communities. At the same time, we maintain our constant support for Ukraine.” Commission Vice-President Dobrovskys said: “The current proposal is a necessary step: Russian and Belarusian cereals and cereal-related products have so far been able to enter the EU market with low or no customs duties and we have seen these imports increase significantly in 2023. The proposed prohibition duties will cause imports of these products to be commercially unsustainable, also preventing potential future increases that could destabilise the EU food market. It will also help stop Russian practice of illegally exporting stolen Ukrainian cereals to the EU.” Source: RES – ICM
Proposal for a European Parliament and Council directive on the approximation of the laws of the Member States relating to restrictions on the marketing and use of certain dangerous substances and preparations.
—