On 22 May 2026, the Council of the European Union suspended for one year duties on key nitrogen fertilisers and raw materials for their production, including urea and ammonia. The rates from which imports are exempt ranged from 5.5% to 6.5%; the European Commission estimated the savings for European farmers and producers at €60 million.
The measure was subject to two restrictions, and both are more significant than the rate itself. First, the exemption does not cover products of Russian and Belarusian origin — reducing dependence on these supplies is the second declared objective of the decision. Second, a quota applies: the volume of imports in 2024 under the most-favoured-nation clause, increased by 20% of the volume imported in the same year from Russia and Belarus.
Market data show the scale of the issue. In 2024, the EU imported 2 million tonnes of ammonia and 5.9 million tonnes of urea, as well as an additional 6.7 million tonnes of nitrogen fertilisers and mixtures containing nitrogen.
The regulation applies until 31 May 2027.
What does this mean in practice?
A one-year window has opened in which urea and ammonia from the United States, the Middle East, and North Africa enter the EU market at a clearly lower cost. However, the quota is used rather than reserved: the advantage goes to whoever enters earlier. Two documents become critical — confirmation of the goods’ origin and a landed-cost calculation that takes the now-abolished duty into account.
Sources: Council of the EU, press release of 22 May 2026; Agence Europe