Modification of customs duties applicable to imports of certain goods originating in or exported directly or indirectly from the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus

Wording as published by the EP, in English.

1. Amendment 2Rejected

   Recital 10 a (new)

   Tabled by Sebastian Kruis, Thierry Mariani, Anna Bryłka +6 · PfE

   Added: (10 a) The Commission’s objectives under the European Green Deal have resulted in excessive regulatory and financial burdens on the Union’s agricultural producers, contributing to the economic weakening of rural undertakings and food production chains. A suspension of the Green Deal is therefore necessary.

2. Amendment 3Rejected

   Recital 11 a (new)

   Tabled by Sebastian Kruis, Thierry Mariani, Anna Bryłka +6 · PfE

   Added: (11 a) The increase in customs duties on fertilisers can contribute to rising production costs for European farmers, putting upward pressure on food prices. In the absence of viable and affordable alternatives, this risks undermining the competitiveness of the Union agricultural sector. To enable farmers to access cost-effective, Union-produced fertilisers, reduce dependency on third-country imports, and contribute to the reduction of CO₂ emissions, the Commission should establish a legal and financial framework that makes manure, including ReNure, a viable alternative. That framework should provide regulatory flexibility beyond the limits currently established by the Nitrates Directive (Council Directive 91/676/EEC).

3. Amendment 4Rejected

   Recital 10 a (new)

   Tabled by Daniele Polato, Carlo Fidanza · ECR

   Added: (10 a) The Commission must ensure that the introduction of additional tariffs on fertiliser imports from the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus does not generate above-average purchase prices, thereby undermining farmers’ access to essential inputs. Given the significant volumes currently imported and the limited short-term flexibility to shift suppliers without incurring additional costs, such measures should not result in the reduction of fertilised agricultural areas and sub-optimal application rates. The Commission must ensure that those measures do not lead to lower yields, diminish profitability, and have potentially negative consequences for food security and farmers’ livelihoods. Therefore, a mandatory monthly monitoring, including at Member State level, of the prices of products listed in Annex II should be established based on the arithmetic mean of prices recorded in 2023 and 2024 to ensure timely responses if the price exceeds that average value, including the temporary suspension of tariffs for the goods concerned imported from all origins, and safeguard the viability of the Union farming sector. The price indicators should be published monthly in order to increase transparency. Furthermore, the role of the EU Fertilisers Market Observatory should be increased. Moreover, the European Board on Agriculture and Food (EBAF) should hold regular exchanges on the availability and price affordability of fertilisers, ensuring an active dialogue with the actors in the food supply chain, including farmers, and provide high-level advice to the Commission on this strategic matter.

4. Amendment 5Rejected

   Recital 5 a (new)

   Tabled by Anna Zalewska, Dominik Tarczyński · ECR

   Added: (5 a) Low-cost gas and lack of any emissions regulations allow the Russian Federation and Belarus to weaken the market position of Union producers, whose competitiveness is curbed by compliance with the Union´s Emission Trading System, which adds further costs, estimated at 10 to 15 % of production expenses. Therefore, support for the European fertiliser industry cannot be limited to imposing tariffs on imported fertilisers: a long-term protection and growth strategy is needed, which should aim at securing diversified supplies of affordable natural gas and easing the regulatory burden on the fertiliser industry, either by excluding it from the scope of the Directive 2003/87/EC, or by allocating to it additional free greenhouse gas emission allowances.

5. Amendment 6Rejected

   Article 2 – paragraph 2 a (new)

   Tabled by Anna Zalewska, Dominik Tarczyński, Emmanouil Fragkos · ECR

   Added: 2 a. As part of a long-term protection and growth strategy for the European fertiliser industry, the Commission shall, by 1 June 2025, propose an implementing act laying down the provisions for allocation of additional free greenhouse gas emission allowances to the European non-organic fertiliser establishments. That implementing act shall be adopted in accordance with the advisory procedure laid down in Article 4 of Regulation (EU) No 182/2011.