The EU launches duties on cereals from Russia and Belarus | EUROtoday

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BRUSSELS – The European Commission offered at the moment, Friday 22 March, a measure with which it should improve the duties utilized to cereals and oilseeds from Russia and Belarus. The principal goal of the measure is to keep away from a possible destabilization of the European market within the occasion of an extra improve in Russian imports. For a while, many European agricultural organizations had referred to as for measures to stabilize costs.

«Russian and Belarusian cereals and associated merchandise have up to now been capable of enter the European market with low or no customs duties – defined the Vice President of the European Commission Valdis Dombrovskis -. We have seen a pointy improve in these imports in 2023. The tariffs we suggest will make imports of those merchandise commercially unprofitable, thus additionally stopping doable future will increase that might destabilize the European market.”

A brake on imports

With this measure, the EU authorities want to stop not only imports of Russian wheat, but also imports of Ukrainian wheat stolen by the Russians. A European official explained that the measure should also prevent sales of Russian wheat to European Union member countries from helping to finance Russia's war in Ukraine. «The transit of goods on European territory will not be affected by the decision», he then specified.

«The new tariffs have been set at levels that are high enough to discourage current imports – explained another community official -. Depending on the specific product, they will increase to 95 euros per ton or a duty to value by 50%”. According to the European Commission, Russia's cereal manufacturing capability has risen enormously in latest occasions, from 35 million tonnes to 50 million tonnes.

Over the previous few years, Brussels has observed a pointy improve in imports from Russia. In 2023, Russia exported 4.2 million tonnes of cereals, oilseeds and derived merchandise to the EU, value 1.3 billion euros. On the Italian entrance, the info are spectacular: imports from Russia have grown within the final 12 months by 1,164%, to the purpose that the nation has even surpassed Canada as the primary international provider of Italian pasta producers.