EU industrial consumers oppose this measure
European aluminum producers, backed by four EU countries, are pushing the bloc to impose an embargo on aluminum imports from Russia as part of the expected 13th sanctions package, Politico reports .
Two years after the start of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Europe still buys 9% of its aluminum imports from Russia. In 2022, around 2.3 billion euros of this steel were imported from Russia.
However, EU diplomats have said it is unlikely that a blanket ban will be enacted before the second anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The Lithuanian proposal, supported by Estonia, Latvia and Poland, will likely meet opposition from industries in countries such as Italy. They oppose measures that could increase prices.
The EU aims to present the 13th sanctions package by 24 February, but significant import volumes mean it is unlikely that all 27 Member States will agree on a total ban so quickly.
European aluminum producers, facing high energy costs and cheap imports, hope sanctions against Russia, which remains the world's third-largest producer of the metal, will bring them some relief.
Since last autumn, the EU Aluminum Producers' Association has been arguing that Brussels should completely stop Russian imports of this product. They said the producers have already accelerated the separation. Despite four EU countries being on their side, the issue is now beyond the control of industrialists, as the bloc's members are engaged in very time-limited negotiations.
At the same time, European industrial consumers oppose aluminum sanctions. Its introduction would be “a kind of economic tactical nuclear bomb”, stated the Federation of Aluminum Consumers in Europe (FACE) last December. This organization, which represents industry interests in Italy, Germany and other EU countries, stated that “sanctions must not become a weapon”.
As the GMK Center previously reported, the 12th package of European sanctions against Russia, adopted on December 18 last year, introduced new restrictions and expanded existing ones, closing loopholes to circumvent the sanctions. The new bans also apply to metallurgical imports from Russia, in particular pig iron and ferroalloys, which have long remained “untouchable” for inclusion in sanctions lists. At the same time, the Europeans eased conditions for imports of Russian alloy steel plates and billets, extending the transition period.
