The appeal, addressed to Commission Vice President Valdis Dombrovskis, was signed by Polish Development and Technology Minister Krzysztof Paszyk and his counterparts from the three Baltic nations, public broadcaster Polish Radio’s IAR news agency reported on Thursday.
The joint letter targets nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium fertilizers, which the four nations argue continue to be imported into the EU, indirectly funding Russia's war in Ukraine.
Despite EU sanctions on fertilizer companies and their owners in Russia and Belarus, imports have surged.
Data from the first eight months of the year shows a more than 50-percent increase in fertilizer imports to the EU from these countries compared to the same period last year.
Poland and the Baltic states raised concerns that changes in company ownership—often to firms registered in other countries—have allowed previously sanctioned businesses to re-enter the European market on an even larger scale.
Geopolitical and security concerns
The ministers emphasized that fertilizer production relies heavily on natural gas, a commodity Russia has historically used to exert geopolitical influence.
They warned that the increased imports of Russian and Belarusian fertilizers pose a threat to European security, despite the EU's progress in reducing its dependence on Russian gas.
"This creates a new dependency that jeopardizes agricultural resilience and food security across the EU," the letter stated.
As an example, the ministers highlighted a staggering 219-percent year-on-year increase in fertilizer imports from Russia and Belarus to Poland during the first eight months of 2024.
Call for European alternatives
The signatories argued that the EU must pivot to alternative suppliers and bolster its own fertilizer production.
"This is a final wake-up call before the destruction of the European fertilizer sector," the ministers warned.
(jh/gs)
Source: IAR