Maria Simon Arboleas ¦ May 15, 2025
The European Parliament’s International Trade Committee (INTA) has given its nod to the Commission’s proposal for higher tariffs on Russian fertilisers, clearing the path for swift adoption by July. Efforts by some right-wing and far-right MEPs to soften the EU’s planned tariff hike on Russian fertilisers failed on Wednesday, as the INTA committee signed off on the Commission’s text unchanged. The proposal, which would see tariffs rise from the current 6.5% ad valorem to 100% over three years, will now go to a plenary vote next Thursday. The goal is sealing the measures before the summer break without inter-institutional negotiations. The Commission tabled the text in January to cut reliance on Russian supplies, which made up 25% of the EU’s total imports in 2023. It also proposed extra duties on agri-food imports from Russia and also Belarus, expanding on last year’s tariff hike. The Council is also on board. Member states backed the proposal, also without amendments, in March. After Wednesday’s vote, Latvian MEP Inese Vaidere (EPP), the lead negotiator on the file, said the move is key to avoid financing “Russia’s war machine”. “Just as we reduced our dependency on Russian gas, we must now act on fertilisers produced using that same gas” reads her statement. Vaidere added that the proposal is a “balanced compromise” that could strengthen the EU fertiliser industry, which she said is “undercut by cheap Russian imports” while giving allowing farmers enough time to adapt. Manure-based alternatives still in limboLike farming organisations, some MEPs wanted to include a push for alternative fertiliser into the proposal, notably manure-based solutions that use recovered nitrogen, also known as “RENURE”.
The EPP’s Céline Imart (France) and Jessika Van Leeuwen (The Netherlands) thus pressed for the loosening of rules under the EU’s nitrates directive to make more room for processed manure. The Commission put forward a proposal on this a year ago, but it has been stuck in the pipeline since. The next push will come in June, during a meeting between the EU executive and representatives from the member states.
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