European Parliament initiates debate on banning import of agricultural products from Russia and Belarus

The European Parliament will hold a debate on Tuesday on whether to ban the import of agricultural products from Russia and Belarus.

As repored by RMF24, the initiative was introduced by Polish MEP Andrzej Halicki from the largest political group, the European People's Party. 

The request to hold this debate was submitted after the agenda for the session had already been approved, but it is expected that parliamentarians will support the inclusion of this discussion in the schedule. 

"Two years after the war began, consumer goods from these two regimes are still entering the EU market," the MEP said, stressing that he considers this economically unjustified and morally unacceptable.

In his opinion, the embargo on products from Russia and Belarus is one of the steps that the EU can take in response to the protests of farmers in many countries.  

In February, the Latvian parliament adopted a temporary import ban on agricultural products from Russia and Belarus until at least July 2025. Latvia said the move is aimed at severing economic ties with aggressor countries and complements EU-wide sanctions.

On 8 March, the Polish Sejm approved a resolution calling for sanctions on imports of Russian and Belarusian food products.