Latvia has officially approved the list of goods that will be subject to a ban on imports from Russia and Belarus starting March 8.
What goods did Latvia ban?
The Cabinet of Ministers of Latvia published a list of prohibited goods:
all vegetables,
all fruits, berries and nuts,
all grains,
fodder raw materials and finished fodder.
The country's government noted that Latvia, as a country bordering Russia, is trying to break economic ties with the aggressor country as soon as possible. This Latvian initiative to ban imports is an additional element of the standard EU sanctions policy.
It was also emphasized there that the adopted decisions reflect the common values of the Latvian state without affecting its development.
Why did the EU not impose sanctions against agricultural products from Russia?
Latvia is reminded that after Russia invaded Ukraine, the EU made a strategic decision "to gradually end dependence on imports of Russian gas, oil and coal as soon as possible."
The food sector was also identified as one of the strategically important sectors in which EU dependence must be ended. After this decision, the EU adopted 12 packages of sanctions.
At the same time, for humanitarian reasons, the EU did not subject imports of food and agricultural products from Russia to sanctions.
According to the Latvian government, in 2023, EU countries imported products from Russia for 2.7 billion euros, which is 2% more than in 2021.
All types of food and agricultural products are imported from Russia to the EU: fish, cereals, animal feed, dairy products, sugar confectionery, etc.
More on the topic
- Category
- Politics
- Publication date
- Додати до обраного
