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The Council of the European Union has approved a one-year suspension of customs duties on certain nitrogen-based fertilisers essential for EU agriculture, as well as on raw materials used in their production, such as urea and ammonia. The measure aims to reduce costs for European farmers and the fertiliser industry while also lowering the EU’s dependence on fertiliser supplies from Russia and Belarus.
According to the European Commission, the suspension is expected to save farmers and the fertiliser industry around €60 million in import duties. The objective is to ensure more affordable and reliable access to these strategic products at a time marked by rising prices since 2021 and geopolitical tensions linked to the war in Ukraine.
In practice, the suspension will apply only to products that are not already imported duty-free into the EU from countries benefiting from preferential market access under the Most Favoured Nation (MFN) regime. To protect European producers, however, the measure will be limited to a quota equivalent to the volume of MFN imports in 2024, plus an additional 20% of the volumes imported from Russia and Belarus during the same year.
The EU has explicitly excluded products imported from Russia and Belarus from the measure. Brussels justified the decision on the grounds of Russia’s unprovoked war of aggression against Ukraine and Belarus’ support for Moscow.
The Council also stressed that the measure aims to strengthen supply chain resilience and diversify the EU’s trade network in the fertiliser sector. The European Commission will monitor market developments over the coming year and may propose an extension or modification of the suspension if necessary.
In 2024, the EU imported 2 million tonnes of ammonia and 5.9 million tonnes of urea, notably to produce nitrogen fertilisers. In addition, the Union imported 6.7 million tonnes of nitrogen-based fertilisers and mixtures containing nitrogen. The EU already imports a significant portion of nitrogen-based fertilisers duty-free from countries benefitting from preferential access to the Union market. Despite this, the Union still imports a large volume of these goods originating in countries subject to the common customs tariff, with customs duty rates currently ranging between 5.5% and 6.5%.
May 22, 2026 / Council of the European Union / European Union.
https://www.consilium.europa.eu
