The European Parliament has voted overwhelmingly to slap new tariffs on Russian and Belarusian agricultural imports, in a bid to choke off revenue streams fuelling the Kremlin’s war machine and reduce Europe’s lingering dependence on cheap fertilisers from the East.
In a decisive move on Thursday, MEPs endorsed the European Commission’s plan to raise import duties by 50% on a raft of agricultural products — including sugar, flour, vinegar and animal feed — that had so far escaped the EU’s economic sanctions regime. A majority of 411 MEPs backed the measure, with 100 voting against and 78 abstaining.
The centrepiece of the legislation, however, is a new set of escalating tariffs on fertilisers imported from Russia and Belarus — a sector where imports have not only persisted but soared since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The EU will now impose a baseline tariff of 6.5% on fertilisers, alongside fixed duties of €40 to €45 per tonne over the 2025–26 period. By 2028, those duties will rise tenfold to a punitive €430 per tonne.
The income Moscow earns from selling fertilisers to the West, according to Brussels, directly underwrites its war effort. For many lawmakers, the continuation of such trade with the aggressor state is unconscionable.
“It is not acceptable that three years after Russia launched its full-scale war, the EU is still buying critical products in large volumes,” said Inese Vaidere, a Latvian MEP from the centre-right European People’s Party and Parliament’s standing rapporteur on Russia. “In fact, these imports have risen significantly.”
She added: “The regulation gradually increasing customs duties for products from Russia and Belarus will help to prevent Russia from using the EU market to finance its war machine.”
The measures are also intended to give European fertiliser producers — many of whom have been undercut by Russia’s rock-bottom pricing — room to recover and regain market share. For European farmers, particularly in the grain-rich East, the new tariffs could bring cost increases. But Brussels insists these will be phased in gradually and subject to close oversight.
To that end, the Commission has been tasked with monitoring price volatility and assessing the impact on the EU’s internal market and its agricultural sector. Officials are authorised to intervene if price hikes threaten food security or farmer livelihoods.
For now, Parliament has merely completed its first reading of the regulation. It must still be formally adopted by the Council of the EU before entering into force. Once that occurs, the tariffs on most affected agricultural goods will apply after a four-week grace period.
The move is the latest in a series of attempts by Brussels to sever the EU’s economic ties with Russia — a campaign that has made halting progress across key sectors, despite a public narrative of unity. Energy imports from Russia have plummeted since the invasion, but agricultural and chemical imports have proven more resilient. Fertilisers, in particular, are still flowing into Europe in large volumes, with urea and nitrogen-based products leading the charge.
According to Commission figures, Russian fertiliser exports to the EU rose substantially in 2024, exacerbating fears of “economic dependence” and leaving the bloc exposed to potential coercion. Russia has previously shown a willingness to weaponise exports — notably gas — in political disputes with its neighbours.
Left unchecked, Brussels warned, the imbalance in fertiliser trade could harm EU food security. Fertiliser is critical for crop yields and agricultural competitiveness. A supply shock, orchestrated or otherwise, could leave Europe vulnerable just as it seeks to re-industrialise and secure its strategic autonomy.
Not everyone in the Parliament welcomed the move. Opponents, largely drawn from the far-left and some agricultural constituencies, warned that penalising imports could inflate costs for farmers and lead to food price rises for consumers already grappling with high living costs.
“There is a real risk that this will push up food prices,” one MEP said. “And unless we increase domestic fertiliser production fast, we’ll simply end up importing from other authoritarian regimes.”
But for the measure’s supporters, the broader strategic and moral imperative outweighed any short-term cost.
“This is about cutting off funds to Putin’s war,” said one senior MEP. “It’s about finally putting our money where our mouth is — and ending the hypocrisy of condemning aggression while importing the fruits of it.”
The legislation’s fate now rests with the Council, but with no major objections expected, it is likely to become law within weeks — marking another, albeit belated, step in Europe’s economic disengagement from the Kremlin.
Main Image: Photographer: Laurie DIEFFEMBACQ © European Union 2025 – Source : EP
