EU member states urge to amend sanctions to ease russia's food exports

Some EU countries urge to reconsider sanctions against russia and make exceptions for the supply of russian agricultural products more precise, claiming that the current rules delay supplies to poor countries, Financial Times reports referring to a document reviewed.

Germany, France and the Netherlands are among the countries calling on the European Commission to introduce an amendment clarifying sanctions on food exports from russia, according to the document.

Although the European Commission had earlier issued recommendations to EU countries on how to handle russian grain and fertilizers, governments and transport operators stated that they were not clear enough to guarantee legal protection.

“The current legal situation contributes to criticism that sanctions hinder trade in food and fertilizers,” the paper reads. Spain, Belgium and Portugal are also among the signatories.

It is marked that cargoes are sometimes delayed in European ports longer than required, as companies are hesitant to engage in transactions with russian groups owned by sanctioned individuals. For example, ammonia producer "Togliattiazot" owned by russian oligarch Dmitry Mazepin and "Minudobreniya" owned by oligarch Arkady Rotenberg.

Financial institutions, insurers, transporters and wholesalers are discouraged to participate in commercial transactions for the export of russian food and fertilizers, disrupting supply chains, the paper says.

The European Commission, however, insists that the sanctions were not aimed at trade in agricultural and food products, in particular wheat and fertilizers. The EU member states that drafted the appeal pointed to the UN-brokered deal for the supply of fertilizers of russia's Uralchem, which were blocked in EU ports.

“It interferes with our messages on EU and member states’ initiatives on food security and especially with our initiatives on the fertilisers crisis,” the paper stated. One diplomat said there were instances of shipments getting stuck “in limbo” in ports for weeks.

Previously reported that Egypt booked the first consignment of Ukrainian wheat since the start of the russia-Ukraine war.

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