European Parliament says alumina exports to Russia should be banned because they’re linked to Russia’s defense industry

European Parliament says alumina exports to Russia should be banned because they’re linked to Russia’s defense industry

The European Parliament backed a non-binding call to ban alumina exports to Russia, increasing pressure on Ireland and the EU after a collaborative OCCRP investigation linked an Irish refinery’s supply chain to Russian arms manufacturers.

Members of the European Parliament on Wednesday backed a non-binding call for a ban on alumina exports to Russia, increasing pressure on Ireland and EU member states to close what critics describe as a loophole in sanctions against Moscow.

The amendment, adopted by a show of hands during a vote in Strasbourg, called for stronger EU measures against Russia, including a “full ban” on alumina exports to Russia. The wider resolution on Ukraine and sanctions passed comfortably, with 460 MEPs voting in favor, 136 against, and 59 abstaining, according to The Irish Times.

The vote is not legally binding. EU sanctions are proposed by the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and require unanimous approval from all 27 member states. But the Parliament’s backing adds political pressure ahead of future sanctions talks, after alumina exports to Russia were left out of the EU’s latest sanctions package.

Dutch MEP Thijs Reuten, who co-authored the amendment, told OCCRP the vote reflected a European political consensus that “all countries need to do their part” and put “additional pressure on Member States to overcome short-term national interests.”

“Let’s be honest, all countries are impacted by sanctions,” Reuten said. “But we do not adopt sanctions because they are easy or beneficial for us Europeans, we do it because they are necessary and right.”

Reuten said there was “no doubt” that alumina exports to Russia — particularly by “a company owned and controlled by a Russian oligarch who is close to the Kremlin” — contribute to Russia’s war machine. Ireland is the third-largest exporter of alumina to Russia, and Aughinish is the sole Irish exporter, he said.

“Disrupting the supply of raw material for aluminium creates additional difficulty for Russia’s war economy,” Reuten said. “Europe should not willingly be the springboard for Russian companies that help its war effort.”

At the center of the debate is Aughinish Alumina, an Irish refinery owned by Russian aluminum giant Rusal. Aughinish, Europe’s largest alumina refinery, sent more than half of its alumina exports since 2023 to Russian smelters owned by Rusal, according to leaked data reviewed by OCCRP and partners.

Those smelters feed into a supply chain of sanctioned Russian weapons manufacturers.

OCCRP and partners could not trace a specific batch of Aughinish alumina into a particular weapon, because alumina from different sources is typically mixed during smelting. But Russian smelters receiving alumina from Ireland sold more than $650 million worth of aluminum to a Moscow-based trader that supplied more than 40 Russian arms companies under EU sanctions.

The shipments are not EU-sanctioned. The bloc has restricted imports of Russian aluminum but has not banned exports of alumina — a raw material used to make aluminum — to Russia.

Wednesday’s vote exposed divisions among Irish MEPs. Fine Gael’s four MEPs backed the alumina ban call, while Fianna Fáil’s four MEPs abstained, according to The Irish Times.

Seán Kelly, leader of Fine Gael in the European Parliament, said the delegation supported the wider motion because greater pressure must be applied on Russia, including broader structural sanctions aimed at depriving Moscow of resources for its war in Ukraine. He said the resolution was non-binding and did not mention individual companies, but Fine Gael welcomed the Irish government’s investigation into Aughinish and awaited its outcome.

“Whatever the outcome of the investigation, it will be imperative for the Irish Government and the EU to utilise every available assistance to ensure the plant remains viable and that the jobs of its fine workforce are secured into the future,” Kelly said.

Regina Doherty, a Fine Gael MEP, also said workers’ concerns should be addressed. “Their jobs matter, and every effort should be made to protect them as Europe continues to stand with Ukraine,” she said, according to The Irish Times.

Barry Andrews, a Fianna Fáil MEP who abstained, said he supported ending alumina trade with Russia but objected to what he called the “blunt wording” of the amendments, saying they did not take enough account of risks to European aluminum supply chains.

“In my view, it is highly likely alumina exported from Ireland is being used in the Russian military and that these exports have increased since 2022,” Andrews said in a statement shared with OCCRP by The Irish Times.

“If this is confirmed, the Irish government must urgently work with our EU partners to close off these exports, stop supplying the Russian war machine and divert the company’s supply chains,” he added.

Ireland has come under growing pressure over the refinery. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy raised the issue during a visit to Dublin last week, urging Ireland to swiftly complete and publish its investigation into whether alumina exported from Ireland to Russia is being used to produce aluminum for weapons.

Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin has said the investigation is nearing completion and that Dublin will discuss the findings with the European Commission. Aughinish Alumina has previously said it complies with all applicable EU laws, including sanctions and export controls, and has denied that alumina refined in Ireland is making its way into Russian weapons.

In May, European lawmakers pressed the Commission to consider restrictions on alumina exports after OCCRP’s investigation.