Increased EU tariffs on Russian and Belarusian products enter into force

The Council of the European Union adopted on May 30 a regulation to significantly increase tariffs on imports into the EU of certain products from Russia and Belarus, a media statement said.

This follows a European Commission proposal on March 22.

The measures are designed to suppress imports into the EU of cereals, oilseeds and derived products, as well as beet-pulp pellets and dried peas, while not affecting exports to third countries and preserving global food security, the statement said.

The increased tariffs also apply to Belarus in light of the country’s close political and economic ties to Russia.

The new tariffs are designed to prevent market destabilisation within the EU and protect the EU farming community, tackle the illegal exports of Ukrainian grain mislabelled as Russian, and cut off revenue streams that could fund Russia’s ongoing war of aggression against Ukraine, the statement said.

The regulation comes in response to Russia’s role as a global grain exporter and its use of food exports as a geopolitical tool.

“The EU stands firmly with Ukraine and its people, and will continue to strongly support Ukraine’s economy, as well as its society, armed forces, and future reconstruction,” the statement said.

Following today’s Council adoption, the regulation implementing the tariffs will enter into force on July 1.

Valdis Dombrovskis, European Commission Executive Vice-President and Commissioner for Trade, said: “By imposing increased tariffs, we are taking decisive action to prevent our agricultural sector from being destabilised by Russian imports, while protecting Ukrainian exports from being mislabelled as Russian.

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

(Photo: Christa Richert/ sxc.hu)