EU to impose duties on grain from Russia and Belarus: reaction to geopolitical events

The European Commission is planning to impose a 95 euro per ton duty on grain from Russia and Belarus, as well as a similar duty on oilseeds and their products. This will be the first restriction on Russian food products after Russia's invasion of Ukraine. This was reported by the Financial Times.

The European Commission is expected to impose a duty of 95 euros per ton of grain from Russia and Belarus. In addition, tariffs of 50% will be set for oilseeds and their processing.

The decision comes as farmers across the EU are calling for changes to the restrictions imposed by the Green Deal initiative to combat climate change.

It is noted that these restrictions are a response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Farmers from Poland, Hungary, and Slovakia are demanding the reinstatement of duties on imports of agricultural products from Ukraine, which were canceled after the invasion, as this led to lower prices for their products.

By imposing duties, the European Union hopes to increase grain prices by 50% and reduce demand for grain.

Compared to the sanctions, the imposition of the duty does not require a unanimous decision of the EU countries, and also preserves transit through the Eurozone to Africa and Asia.

This decision will not affect the food security of the EU, which itself produces more than 300 million tons of grains and oilseeds annually.

The duty will be set at the maximum level allowed by WTO rules. Russia may take countermeasures, but it has already banned most food imports from the EU, which has led to the withdrawal of many European companies from the Russian market.