Imports from Albania, Montenegro, Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Ukraine to Russia

Russia has added Albania, Montenegro, Iceland and Liechtenstein to its sanctions list

On August 6, 2014, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin signed a decree "On the Application of Certain Special Economic Measures to Ensure the Security of Russia", introducing countermeasures to Western sanctions. The countermeasures concerned the United States, the European Union, Canada, Norway and Australia. The next day, the Russian government introduced a regulation to ban imports of meat of beef cattle; pork; poultry; salted, dried and smoked meat; fish, crustaceans, shell-fish and other aquatic invertebrates; milk and dairy products; vegetables, edible root plants and tuber crops; fruits and nuts; sausages; dairy products based on vegetable fats from those countries.

On August 20, 2014 and June 22, 2015 correction were made to the list. As a result specific lactose-free dairy products, salmon and trout juveniles, fry oysters and mussels were excluded from the list.

On 22 June 2015, the EU countries extended sanctions against Russia. On June 24, 2015, President Vladimir Putin signed a decree extending Russia’s food imports embargo for one more year starting from 6 August 2015.

On August 13, 2015, the Russian government expanded the list of countries to be covered by the ban on imports of agricultural products, raw materials and food to Russia. Moscow added Albania, Montenegro, Iceland and Liechtenstein, and Ukraine /under special conditions/ to the list.

According to the Federal Customs Service of Russia, the overall imports to Russia from Albania, Montenegro, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Ukraine in 2014 amounted to $11.048 bln, or 3.8% of the total value of imports /$286.7 bln /. In this case, the share of products, which came under sanctions was $656.2 mln, or 5.9%

In 2014, Albania delivered goods worth $22.5 mln to Russia. Of this volume, the share of products that came under counter sanctions amounted to $10.1 mln /45% /. Of this amount, $4.6 mln and $4.2 mln accounted for the supplies of fruits and dairy products based on vegetable fat respectively. In both cases the share of these products in total imports supplied to Russia was small / less than 0.1% /.

In 2014, Iceland exported goods worth $255.6 million to Russia. Of this volume, the share of products that came under counter sanctions amounted to $231.6 million / 91% /. Almost all this amount falls to the share of fish and seafood imports. In 2014, Iceland supplied 125,000 tonnes of these products to Russia, or 16.5% of total imports of fish and seafood.

In 2014, imports from Ukraine to Russia amounted to $10.75 billion. Of this volume, the share of production that came under counter sanctions amounted to $414.5 million /3%/. In particular Ukraine exported 41,000 tonnes of dairy products based on vegetable fats for the sum of $ 124 million / 15.5% of total imports in this category in terms of weight / and 22,000 tonnes of dairy products for the sum of $117.9 million.

Among the "sanctioned" food imports from Ukraine beef ranked third in monetary terms: 13,800 tonnes for the sum of $45.7 million.

In monetary terms, imports of vegetables amounted to $81.9 million, imports of fruits - $16.3 million, poultry - $13.3 million, sausages - $2.9 million, fish - $279,000.

For Ukraine, Russia’s counter sanctions will take effect after the economic part of the Association Agreement with the EU comes into force /rough date: January 1, 2016 /.

In 2014, Montenegro supplied goods worth $6 million to Russia. Of this volume, the value of products which are subject to counter sanctions was $40,000. /6.7 tonnes of vegetables and 37.4 tonnes of fruits /.

According to the Federal Customs Service, in 2014 and 2015, Liechtenstein did not supply any products to Russia which are subject to counter sanctions. Total value of imported goods is $15.2 million.