According to the latest data, the total volume of phosphorus and phosphorus-based fertilizers purchased by EU countries from Russia exceeded €900 million in 2025.
Despite the frosty relations between Europe and Russia, the latter remains a key supplier of many goods to EU countries.
For example, in 2025, the EU purchased phosphorus-containing products and fertilizers from Russia worth €900 million, a significant amount.
It is emphasized that phosphorus is actively used in agribusiness – in particular, for the production of fertilizers and animal feed.
However, for this type of product, Europe remains highly dependent on its two main suppliers – Russia and Morocco. Only 10% of phosphorus used in European industry is mined in Finland, within the EU, according to experts.
As for Russian products, they account for approximately 20% of all phosphorus imported into Europe.
At the same time, experts see no real opportunity to change the current situation in the foreseeable future, despite the fact that a number of politicians in European countries are calling for a ban on Russian imports.
Analysts believe that Europeans are currently unlikely to be able to replace phosphorus imported from Russia.
Theoretically, the EU has the potential to produce its own phosphorus by extracting it from its own wastewater.
Such a project has been developed by a European company. According to it, European companies can extract pure calcium phosphate from wastewater ash, which can be used as a raw material for phosphorus production.
However, the European Commission, although it has authorized the use of such phosphorus as a base for fertilizer production, has not yet given its consent for its use as a raw material for animal feed.
If such consent is granted, it could change the current situation. However, this would require a revision of existing European legislation.
It’s highly likely that this initiative, even if it is eventually implemented, will have to wait for a final decision for quite some time, during which time cooperation with Russia and Morocco will continue.
At the same time, the EU is unlikely to succeed in immediately increasing phosphorus production from wastewater to a level comparable to current imports.
Therefore, if import substitution in this regard does occur, it will likely be a protracted process, experts say.
