Debate: Need to impose sanctions on the import of Russian and Belarusian food and agricultural products to the EU and to ensure stability of EU agricultural production
Date: TUESDAY, 12 MARCH 2024
Speaker: Ylva Johansson
Language: EN

Food should never be used as a weapon of war. As part of its war against Ukraine, Russia intentionally has undermined global food security by imposing a naval blockade of Ukrainian ports and by targeting its grain storage and export facilities. This was done at the expense of the most vulnerable of the world.  In May 2022, the EU established EU-Ukraine solidarity lanes and developed alternative logistic routes to help Ukraine export its agricultural products. In July 2022, the United Nations and Türkiye brokered the Black Sea Grain initiative. However, Russia continuously undermined it. A year later, it unilaterally withdrew from it, and continues weaponising food.  Since last year, Ukraine has been successfully exporting food through the Black Sea corridor after having successfully limited operations of Russia’s navy. Currently, the volumes exported through the corridor almost equal pre-war levels.  We are confronted today with a different situation in the agri-food market, against the background of increasing imports to the EU of foodstuffs from Russia. Some Member States have raised the issue of influx of cheap Russian grain.  The Commission has been notified of the Latvian decision to adopt an import ban on certain agricultural and feed products from Russia and Belarus, and is still analysing the measure. We are monitoring very closely Russian imports to the EU, including the imports of Russian grain to individual EU Member States. The Commission analyses the flow of agri-food products into and from the EU, and assesses what the impacts of those flows are for our own agricultural markets and farmers, for our customers, as well as for the wider issue of global food security.  In particular, the Commission is monitoring closely Russian and Belarusian imports to the EU and would consider any additional measures deemed appropriate to avoid EU grain markets being destabilised by imports from Russia or Belarus.  When it comes to sanctions in response to Russia’s war of aggression of Ukraine, the EU has unanimously imposed 13 packages of wide-ranging sanctions against Russia. They successfully weaken Russia’s economy, cut revenue streams and curtail Putin’s ability to wage war. Around 60% of all pre-war imports from Russia into the EU are subject to our sanctions by now – an unprecedented decoupling and use of our economic leverage.  However, the EU sanctions on purpose do not target Russia’s trade in agri-food products and fertilisers. This is because sanctions on Russia’s agri-food imports into the EU could cause more harm, notably in the form of higher prices, to importing countries in the global South, in cases where the products are transited or re-exported via the EU, than to the Russian economy.  It is also important to note the dimensions here. EU total imports from Russia in 2022 were worth EUR 203 billion, out of which EUR 2.2 billion were actual agri-food imports. So we should keep things in perspective.  In other words, the EU sanctions, as they stand intentionally, do not target Russia’s trade in agri-food products. The EU has actively worked to preserve the global flow of agricultural and food products, for example by introducing very targeted derogations from prohibition in the Russia sanctions. This is important to stress here because, from the outset, Russia has engaged in a disinformation campaign accusing the EU of threatening food security in the global South. These lies have had some traction in partner countries, despite us pushing back. It is therefore imperative that the EU continuously counters this narrative and instead highlights what we have done to safeguard global food security.  As long as Russia’s illegal war against Ukraine continues, we will continue to isolate Russia internationally and call it out for war crimes and for blatant violations of international humanitarian law, maintain our wide range of support for Ukraine and continue applying sanctions against Russia.