The EU needs Russian nickel and hasn’t sanctioned it, as the port of Rotterdam ships it worldwide

Brussels – Russian nickel? No sanctions, as the European Union needs it too much to ban it. The EU’s difficulty in managing the Russia‑Ukraine war, having to respond to the Kremlin’s military moves while also avoiding excessive damage to its own economy, becomes clear in the case of nickel. Not currently subject to sanctions, the raw material continues to be traded freely in Europe, with the Netherlands acting as an intermediary.

Tom Berendsen, a Dutch MEP from the EPP, denounced the situation in a parliamentary question and called on the Commission to propose sanctions. “Several companies in the port of Rotterdam play a key role in the export of Russian nickel to Europe and beyond,” complained the MEP. He points out: “The proceeds from this trade contribute to the financing of the war against Ukraine.” The result is that after 19 EU sanction packages against Moscow and a 20th already announced and currently being defined, “a ship carrying nickel from Murmansk can dock every month in Waalhaven (Rotterdam), which now serves as a hub for the nickel trade between Russia and China.” Thanks to this route, Berendsen continues, “about a third of total production arrives in Europe, half of which is transported on to China.” 

At this moment, however, the European Commission cannot do anything, the Commissioner for Financial Services, Maria Luìs Albuquerque, admits in an answer issued on behalf of the entire college. The measures in place, she notes, referring to the sanctions imposed so far, “reflect a careful balance between the EU’s determination to impact
Russia’s ability to finance its war of aggression and to limit, to the extent possible, negative
impacts on Member States and industry, taking into account shortages of certain critical raw
materials.​”

Nickel is an essential raw material that the EU lacks and needs to pursue its green and competitive agenda. This metal is indispensable for the production of batteries, which are useful for new-generation electric mobility. At an industrial level, it is also useful for the production of heat- and corrosion-resistant alloys. Stainless steel depends on nickel, just to give an idea. But nickel is also useful in the ceramics industry, as an element for colours and glazes. In short, sanctioning Russian nickel isn’t an option. The metal the EU depends on exposes the weaknesses and limits of a Europe poor in raw materials and still trapped in strategic dependencies.

 Of course, it is not certain that the Commission will consider restrictions in the future, given that, as Albuquerque points out, “EU restrictive measures are regularly reviewed.” However, the Commissioner does not even implicitly say that the EU executive intends to update sanctions against the Russian Federation to include nickel.