Source: European Parliament
Question for written answer E-002908/2025
to the Commission
Rule 144
Krzysztof Hetman (PPE)
Polish and EU imports of cement from Ukraine are increasing exponentially. This is a strategic material for defence investment, EU security and the energy transition.
In 2024, Ukraine exported 1 713 000 tonnes of cement to the EU, including 650 000 tonnes to Poland – an EU border country. Polish imports of Ukrainian cement increased by nearly 3 000 % in the years 2019–2024. Over a million tonnes are expected to be imported in 2025. This is equivalent to the annual production of a single Polish cement plant, directly putting jobs at risk as well as the branch as a whole. In Romania, 660 000 tonnes of cement were imported from Ukraine in 2024, increasing by nearly 1 460 % in 2015–2024.
It is essential that cement production in Poland and the EU is maintained. The solution is a tariff quota: an annual limit on cement imports from Ukraine to Poland (based on the average of the past three years, i.e. 360 000 tonnes) as part of the EU’s trade agreement with Ukraine.
Tariffs have been imposed on Ukrainian products to protect Polish and EU agriculture; the same protection is required for cement production, which is key for the construction sector and the economy as a whole.
I would therefore like to ask:
What scope is there to introduce tariffs, i.e. limits on cement imports from Ukraine to Poland (based on the average of the past three years), as part of the EU’s trade agreement with Ukraine that is currently being negotiated?
Submitted: 16.7.2025