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Grain harvest in Russia: Additional taxes only for imports into the EU
Photo: Vitaly Timkiv/dpa
The EU Commission wants to impose higher tariffs on imports of Russian grain. The authority has prepared a corresponding proposal, said Commission President Ursula von der Leyen late on Thursday evening after discussions between EU heads of state and government at a summit in Brussels. In addition to grain, it would also affect other agricultural products from Russia and Belarus.
In addition, according to von der Leyen, grain stolen from Ukraine should be prevented from being sold to the EU. Russian grain must not destabilize the EU market and Russia must not benefit from exporting these goods.
Before the summit, several eastern EU states had written a letter to the EU Commission demanding that the Commission prepare import restrictions for Russian grain. Russia is also financing the ongoing war against Ukraine with profits from grain exports to the EU, according to the letter, which was signed by the agriculture ministers from the Czech Republic, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland.
The proposal is explosive because the EU actually did not want to restrict the import and export of agricultural products. The Commission is now arguing that tariffs are not sanctions. In addition, it should be guaranteed that the taxes only apply to imports that remain in the EU. This should not make Russian exports to other regions of the world more expensive.
mik/dpa AFX