On Saturday, May 10th, Minister of Agriculture Armands Krauze sent a letter to EU Agriculture and Food Commissioner Christophe Hansen, calling for EU-level import restriction measures — specifically the increased EU customs tariffs — to also apply to fish and fish products.
Minister Armands Krauze: “Latvia, as a border country with Russia and Belarus, seeks to sever economic ties with the aggressor states as quickly as possible. Other European countries are acting similarly, but such action will be most effective and impactful only if all EU member states implement it together. In Latvia's opinion, the European Commission must be much more ambitious; therefore, I call on the EU to apply restrictive measures also to the import of fish and fish products, which unfortunately were not included in the European Commission's January 28th proposal.”
The Ministry of Agriculture has previously reported on the European Commission's January 28th proposal to increase tariffs on all agricultural and food products (except fish and fish products), certain fertilizers, and a range of industrial goods — in order to protect EU interests and reduce Russia's revenues that fund its war efforts.
Latvia's initiative — a national ban on the import of food and agricultural products from aggressor states, in effect since March 8, 2024 — complements the EU's overall sanctions and restriction policy. In order to continue safeguarding the security and well-being of Latvian society, the Saeima on April 3, 2025, adopted a decision to extend the national import ban for another year, until July 1st , 2026.
The national ban does not affect transit and deliveries through Latvia to other EU member states — which is precisely why there is a need to strengthen sanctions against both aggressor countries at the EU level.