Euractiv: EU member states lift ban on imports of Russian sable fur

Imports of luxury Russian sable pelts may resume after EU member states lifted a ban that had only been introduced in April.

Source: Euractiv, as reported by European Pravda

Details: The change was included in the latest package of EU sanctions against Russia agreed by Brussels last week.

The European Commission justified the exemption by arguing that Russia dominates the global trade in sable pelts, leaving European manufacturers with very few alternative suppliers.

"Apparently, it's very difficult to get them anywhere else," a senior EU official said.

Italy and Greece, the two largest buyers of Russian sable pelts within the EU, pushed for the exemption, a European diplomat told the outlet.

The sable is a small carnivorous mammal native to the forests of northern Asia. It is prized for its exceptionally soft fur and has long been sought after by Europe's luxury fashion houses.

Russian sable coats can sell for tens or even hundreds of thousands of euros.

According to Sojuzpushnina, Russia's only international fur auction house, Greek and Italian companies continue to rank among the leading international buyers of the fur, alongside Chinese and Russian firms.

For example, Italian fur manufacturer Maurizio Braschi purchased the most expensive lot of sable at auction in September 2022 on behalf of Braschi, and again in May 2023 for a private client in Moscow, according to publicly available records from Sojuzpushnina.

Meanwhile, imports of finished fur garments into the EU and exports of such products to Russia remain prohibited under sanctions introduced in 2022, alongside other luxury goods such as diamonds and caviar.

In 2022, fur producers in Greece strongly opposed those sanctions, warning that they would amount to a death sentence for the industry.

The exemption agreed last week restores access to raw Russian sable pelts, although exports of finished fur garments to Russia remain banned.

The policy change comes as Brussels continues to consider the future of its own fur farming industry.

An EU-wide ban on fur farming is being considered following a successful European Citizens' Initiative calling for an end to the practice across the EU as well as a ban on the import and sale of fur products.

Only a handful of EU countries, including Spain, Greece, Hungary, Finland and Poland, still have fur farms in operation, although Poland has already adopted legislation to phase out the industry over the coming years.

However, the European Commission has repeatedly postponed its decision, which had originally been expected in March. A draft proposal suggested that the Commission favours strengthening animal welfare standards instead of introducing a complete ban on fur production and import.

Background:

• The Council of the EU on 23 July formally adopted a new package of sanctions against Russia which, as stated, "delivers a powerful blow to Russian energy, financial services and cryptocurrencies".
• The package was approved after weeks of delays caused by objections from several member states, with Greece being the last country to lift its objections.

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