The EU plans to phase out imports of Russian primary aluminium
January 22, 2025
According to foreign media reports, an EU diplomat said on Tuesday that the European Commission proposed to ban imports of Russian primary aluminum in the 16th round of sanctions against Russia.
The European Commission held an informal meeting with EU countries on Tuesday to discuss details of the forthcoming package, the sources said. A source added that the ban would be implemented in phases.
Late last year, 10 EU member states proposed in a letter further sanctions on Russian trade, including on its production of metals, including aluminum.
As of now, the 27 member states of the European Union have banned the import of Russian aluminum products, including wire, pipe and foil.
The United States and Britain have already banned imports of Russian-produced metals in 2024, and the European Union has refused to follow suit amid opposition from some member states.
Eu imports of Russian primary aluminium have declined over the past two years. Data show that from January to October 2024, the EU imported more than 130,000 tons of primary aluminum from Russia, accounting for about 6% of the total imports of 2.2 million tons, while the proportion of the same period in 2023 and 2022 was 11% and 19%, respectively.