EU buys hundreds of millions of euros worth of russian fish annually - Euractiv

The European Union continues to purchase millions of euros worth of fish from the aggressor country of russia despite attempts to reduce imports, as it depends on supplies from moscow. It was reported by Euractiv on Tuesday, December 23.

According to the publication, in 2024, the EU purchased russian fish worth EUR 709 million. Most of it was purchased by the Netherlands, Germany, France and Poland. In addition, Portugal, along with the Netherlands and Poland, is one of the three leading importers of russian cod to the EU.

"Russian fish also enters the EU through several backstage channels. Russian cod can enter the EU duty-free after being processed in Norway," the report said.

At the same time, two russian fishing giants, Norebo and Murman Seafood, were recently found guilty of conducting state espionage in EU waters, which led to sanctions. Latvian Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries Armands Krauze told Euractiv that he is still looking for support from EU countries to tighten restrictions against russia.

"In the current geopolitical situation, we cannot stop at what has already been done. To support Ukraine, we need to consistently restrict trade with Russia and Belarus," Krauze said.

As the Ukrainian News agency earlier reported, on December 22, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Ukraine was preparing several more sanctions decisions by the end of the year.

The European Union is considering imposing new restrictions against companies and structures that help the russian "shadow fleet" operate.