Brussels proposes steep EU tariffs on Russian grain, fearing market turmoil

The European Commission has proposed a steep increase in tariffs on Russian grain that comes into the bloc's common market.

Transcript

00:00 The European Commission has proposed to reintroduce tariffs on Russian and Belarusian grain.

00:08 And the leap is significant for some products such as Russian maize, wheat and oil seeds.

00:14 Brussels would slap a 95 euro per tonne tariff, which are today subject to zero duties.

00:22 It will prevent Russian grain from destabilizing the EU market in these products.

00:29 It will stop Russia from using the revenues from the export of these goods to the European Union.

00:37 And it will ensure that illegal Russian exports of stolen Ukrainian grain do not enter the EU market.

00:45 Just some hours before the announcement, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky urged EU leaders to take action against Russian grain,

00:55 arguing that while Russian access to the European market was still unstricted, Ukrainian grain is blocked on the roads.

01:02 Since the beginning of the war, the question of agricultural products has become a hot-button issue.

01:09 Farmers from Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, Bulgaria and Romania have been protesting against the flood of low-cost, duty-free Ukrainian grain.

01:18 Brussels has not yet found a durable arrangement for the issue.

01:24 [Russian]

01:27 [Russian]

01:29 (whooshing)