BAGHDAD, March 22 The European Commission’s proposal to increase duties on the import of certain types of agricultural products from the Russian Federation and Belarus is unlikely to have a significant impact on the Russian economy, but could cause a negative reaction within the EU countries themselves, said Iraqi agricultural expert Hamid al-Naif.
The European Commission on Friday officially published its proposal to introduce increased duties on the import of grains, oilseeds and their products from Russia and Belarus into the European Union. Experts previously argued that such measures would lead to higher prices for these products.
“Russia produces many different products, not only agricultural products, which fuel the Russian economy. Therefore, the measures that the European Union is now taking in this area will affect the EU countries themselves — taxes and customs duties on relevant goods will increase, which will cause discontent within European states,” the expert believes.
According to al-Naif, the Russian economy has already managed to adapt to new realities under sanctions, so “the measures that the EU is taking today, even if at the level of proposals, do not make sense.” “Yes, individual entrepreneurs may suffer, but Russia cannot be forced to bargain in this way… I believe that these proposals will ultimately not affect either the Russian economy or the course of military operations in Ukraine,” he said.
At the same time, according to the expert, “it is not European states that are imposing these measures, since they are the ones who will face a negative public reaction.”