European Parliament event hosted by MEP Krzysztof Hetman on “Cheap Fertilizers from Russia – Another Threat to the EU Economy”
At yesterday's European Parliament event hosted by MEP Krzysztof Hetman on “Cheap Fertilizers from Russia – Another Threat to the EU Economy,” our Board Members Tiffanie Stephani, Hubert KAMOLA and Justyna Dziewisz highlighted the urgent need to address the challenges the EU agriculture sector is facing due to surging fertilizer imports from Russia.
➡️ Drastic Increase of Urea Imports: Russia now accounts for one-third of all urea imports to the EU, with countries like Poland, Germany, and France seeing particularly high volumes. In Poland alone, Russian imports made up 65% of total urea imports in the first three quarters of 2024.
➡️ Unfair Competition: Russian fertilizers, priced artificially low due to state-regulated gas costs, create an uneven playing field for EU producers and threaten to put them out of business.
➡️ Fertilizers are Gas in Solid Form: By importing Russian fertilizers, we indirectly import Russian gas, undermining the EU’s ambitions to reduce reliance on Russian energy.
Fertilizers Europe representatives highlighted 3 major risks:
1-Threat to Food Security and Strategic Autonomy: Fertilizers are essential for sustaining EU food production. A future supply shortage could jeopardize food security across the continent.
2- Sustainability at Risk: EU producers are committed to advancing circularity and decarbonization, yet unfair competition undermines their ability to compete effectively and sustain critical investments. Unlike EU producers, Russian fertilizers are not bound by the stringent environmental standards imposed in Europe. Allowing increased imports of such products directly jeopardizes the EU's environmental ambitions.
3️-Job Losses Across Europe: The fertilizer industry supports 76,000 jobs. If temporary shutdowns turn permanent due to lack of urgent action, these jobs will be at stake.
Key Actions Called For:
Reduce Dependency: The EU has the capacity to meet its fertilizer needs. All available measures must be taken to avoid over-reliance on Russian imports and safeguard Europe’s fertilizer industry.
Specific Duty on Imports: The European fertilizer industry proposes a 30% duty on Russian fertilizers, effectively stopping imports.
Now it is time to act. Decisive action is essential to safeguard our economy, ensure food security, and achieve our sustainability goals. We would like to thank MEP Krzysztof Hetman and his team for hosting such a critical debate on the pressing issue of Russian imports.