EU proposes tariffs on Russian and Belarusian fertilisers

14 February 2025

An image showing bags of fertiliser

By Robin Manning, BAB Director 

The European Commission has proposed tariffs on the import of Russian and Belarusian fertilizers to reduce dependence on Russian supplies and support EU production. 

The European Commission has tabled a proposal to reduce EU dependence on Russian fertilisers imported directly or indirectly into the EU. Under the proposal, in addition to the current ad valorum duty of 6.5%, additional tariffs will be applied from 1 July 2025:

Fertilisers falling under CN code 3102:

  • 6.5% ad valorem + 40 EUR/tonne from 1 July 2025 until 30 June 2026;
  • 6.5% ad valorem + 60 EUR/tonne from 1 July 2026 until 30 June 2027;
  • 6.5% ad valorem + 80 EUR/tonne from 1 July 2027 until 30 June 2028;
  • 6.5% ad valorem + 315 EUR/tonne from 1 July 2028

Fertilisers falling under CN codes 3105 20, 3105 30, 3105 40, 3105 51, 3105 59 and 3105 90:

  • 6.5% ad valorem + 45 EUR/tonne from 1 July 2025 until 30 June 2026;
  • 6.5% ad valorem + 70 EUR/tonne from 1 July 2026 until 30 June 2027;
  • 6.5% ad valorem + 95 EUR/tonne from 1 July 2027 until 30 June 2028;
  • 6.5% ad valorem + 430 EUR/tonne from 1 July 2028.

In addition to the above, if cumulative import volumes reach the thresholds below, an additional tariff of €315/t or €430/t will be applied for the remaining period.

  • 2.7 million tonnes from 1 July 2025 until 30 June 2026;
  • 1.8 million tonnes from 1 July 2026 until 30 June 2027;
  • 0.9 million tonnes from 1 July 2027 until 30 June 2028.

In 2023, the EU imported around 3.6 million tonnes of fertiliser from Russia/Belarus worth €1.28 billion, accounting for more than 25% of the EU's total imports in volume terms. The proposal includes safeguard measures, such as the possibility of temporary suspension of tariffs in the event of a surge in the price of fertilisers over a transitional period of four years. However, the proposal clearly risks increasing the price of fertilisers for European farmers and the proposal was not accompanied by an impact assessment. 

In a separate part of the proposal, the Commission proposes to increase duties on all food and agricultural products imported directly, or indirectly, from Russia and Belarus by 50% on value. Such products will also no longer benefit from preferential access under the EU’s tariff rate quotas.

The Commission’s proposal will need to be approved by the European Parliament and the Council before entering into force. 

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