EU proposes suspension of import duties on fertilisers to help farmers
The European Commission has made a number of proposals to address concerns in the agriculture industry. They include a suspension of import duties on fertilisers and a ban on three pesticides that are prohibited in the EU from being used in imported products. Flemish Agriculture minister Jo Brouns calls the measures “woefully inadequate” to tackle the structural problems in the sector.
The Commission and the Cypriot presidency of the EU Council organised an informal meeting of agriculture ministers on Wednesday following violent protests in Brussels on 18 December on the sidelines of a European summit.
To respond to farmers’ concerns, the Commission wants to temporarily and retroactively suspend import tariffs on fertilisers such as ammonia and urea to reduce the prices of artificial fertilisers, and to adjust the border tax mechanism to allow temporary exemptions for fertilisers.
“While prices have stabilised, fertiliser prices remain 60 per cent higher than in 2020. That is simply not sustainable,” European Commissioner for Trade Maros Sefcovic told a press conference after the meeting.
"As long as farmers in Europe continue to face an accumulation of obligations, controls and sanctions ... the playing field will remain uneven"
The Commission also wants to ban three pesticides that are prohibited within the EU in imported products, while a series of technical adjustments and simplifications to existing regulations are being worked on. On Tuesday, president Ursula von der Leyen proposed releasing 45 billion euros early for farmers in the next multiannual budget.
Brouns, who represented Belgium with his Walloon counterpart, Anne-Catherine Dalcq, called the measures “woefully inadequate” to address the structural problems and fundamental bottlenecks.
“As long as farmers in Europe continue to face an accumulation of obligations, controls and sanctions, while competitors from outside the EU have access to the market under less stringent conditions, the playing field will remain uneven,” he said.
The meeting was held ahead of a possible vote on Friday by member states on the EU-Mercosur free trade agreement. The Commission wants to sign the deal officially as soon as possible, but does not yet have the necessary support from member states.
Mercosur was not officially on the ministers’ agenda on Wednesday, but the Commission’s concessions are seen as a way of persuading those countries that are still undecided, including Italy.
Sefcovic did not want to comment on a possible trip by Von der Leyen to Paraguay on Monday to sign the agreement. “We are awaiting a possible decision on Friday and will then consult with our partners,” he said.
#FlandersNewsService | Farmers protest in France, 7 January 2026 © PHOTO FREDERICK FLORIN / AFP
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