Baltic states want to sanction Russian food imports into the EU

The European Union and its member states must take “concrete and immediate” action to put sanctions on Russian food imports, Latvia’s Agriculture Minister Armands Krauze stressed at the EU Agriculture and Fisheries Council on Tuesday (23 January).

Read the original French article here.

“We can provide our people with the best food in the world by ourselves; imports from Russia should be banned,” Krauze said as he arrived at the Council.

Following the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the EU imposed economic sanctions on Russia, but food products were excluded .

In the first ten months of 2023, EU countries imported a total of €2.2 billion worth of food products from Russia, like dairy products, fruit, vegetables, sugar confectionery, flour, cereals, and animal feed, according to a note presented to the agriculture ministers by Latvia, with the support of Lithuania and Estonia.

Because the Baltic States have large grain storage capacity and efficient port infrastructure, they have ultimately become a hub for grain from Russia and, since the blockade of the Black Sea, Ukraine.

In recent years, Russian harvests have been quite exceptional.

According to the European Commission, 360,000 tonnes of Russian cereals and 370,000 tonnes of oilseeds crossed the Latvian border in 2023, compared to 102,000 and 80,000, respectively, in a year earlier.

“Last year saw an influx of cheap Russian grain into Latvia, which, by unfair competition, is driving Latvian and other EU companies away from logistics, ports, our own markets and export markets,” said Krauze.

Even if some of these products go on to other EU countries, “there is a local problem in Latvia, which is also felt in Lithuania, but to a lesser extent”, EU Agriculture Commissioner Janusz Wojciechowski acknowledged at the press conference.

According to Latvian media outlet LSM, Italy is the largest importer of Russian grain in Europe, with Latvia ranking second.

Support for Ukraine

Faced with this influx, the Latvian minister called on the EU and the 27 member states to halt imports of Russian food products.

Latvia had already made the call at previous Agriculture and Fisheries Council meetings on 3 October and 11 December of last year.

“I call for sanctions on the import of Russian food and agricultural products into the EU. I also invite colleagues from all member states to discuss with their governments and prime ministers, as the decision to impose sanctions within the EU can be taken by heads of state at the highest level,” Krauze reiterated on Tuesday.

He was keen to point out that in 2014, following Russia’s annexation of Crimea, Russia responded to EU sanctions with a strict food embargo. In his view, by being more flexible than its enemy, the EU was indirectly supporting “the economy and war industry of this invader country”.

In response to the call, Wojciechowski promised to “analyse the situation” and said he was considering “potential instruments to restrict these imports”.

The Latvian minister also reiterated his support for Ukraine, which he described as a “priority” – and insisted that the EU should “as soon as possible” facilitate trade in Ukrainian grain via the Baltic states, as had been proposed this summer, in order to find alternative export routes following Russia’s blockade of the Black Sea.

However, Krauze did point out that a “long-term” solution must be found for Ukrainian imports to “protect EU producers”, particularly in Ukraine’s neighbouring states – Poland, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, and Slovakia.

“For example, by assimilating Ukraine’s different production standards to EU requirements.”

Bulgaria insists on quota volumes for Ukrainian grain imports

The Bulgarian government is insisting on the introduction of tariffs and quotas on Ukrainian grain imports to the EU, citing the “significant” suffering of local farmers since the EU lifted trade restrictions on Ukrainian produce following the war in Ukraine.

[Edited by Angelo Di Mambro/Zoran Radosavljevic]

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