On Monday November 18, Ģirts Krūmiņš, the State Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture will participate in the EU Council of Ministers for Agriculture and Fisheries, where the Ministry of Agriculture will encourage the EU Member States to increase the customs duty on even a wider scope of agricultural goods and food, imported from Russia and Belarus.
In the first half of the current year, Latvia suggested and achieved a considerable increase in import tariffs for a number of agricultural goods, originating in Russia and Belarus. In July-September of 2024 (as compared with April-June), in Latvia, volume of agricultural products, imported from Russia and Belarus, considerably reduced. This means that the higher customs tariffs are achieving their target and their implementation has considerably reduced the previous imports from Russia and Belarus.
The Ministry of Agriculture has prepared a list of new goods, which should be immediately subjected to the higher customs tariffs. Therefore, Latvia will call other EU Member States to support increasing of customs tariffs for other goods, imported from Russia and Belarus as soon as possible.
At the Council meeting, Member States will also continue discussing other issues, related to a difficult situation in agriculture and food production where agricultural industries found themselves in the result of energy crisis and Russia’s war against Ukraine. Also in 2024, the situation in the sector, significant for providing food for population and economy, is difficult both in Latvia and other EU Member States.