On Thursday 27 February, the EU’s agricultural cooperatives and organisations (Copa-Cogeca) called for changes to the proposal to increase tariffs on fertiliser imports from Russia and Belarus (see EUROPE 13583/3, 13586/13).
Copa-Cogeca accepts the principle of an increase in import duties, subject to action by the European Commission: - abolition of import duties on fertilisers from third countries other than Russia and Belarus (and derogations for EU farmers to use manure as fertiliser); - postponement by one year of the entry into force of adjusted tariffs on Russian and Belarusian fertilisers; - limitation of scope to nitrogen fertilisers and higher import quotas (pre-war levels): 3.37 million tonnes (t) from 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2027, 2.25 million t from 1 July 2027 to 30 June 2028 and 1.48 million t from 1 July 2028 to 30 June 2029. The Commission has proposed an import quota of 2.7 million t from 1 July 2025 to 30 June 2026, i.e. -27% compared with the level of imports in 2024.
To see Copa-Cogeca’s detailed position: https://aeur.eu/f/fof (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)