{"id":22645,"date":"2024-03-26T21:11:07","date_gmt":"2024-03-26T11:11:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.railfreight.com\/?p=51123"},"modified":"2024-03-26T21:11:07","modified_gmt":"2024-03-26T11:11:07","slug":"latvian-petition-against-manganese-ore-export-to-russia-gaining-momentum","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/?p=22645","title":{"rendered":"Latvian petition against manganese ore export to Russia gaining momentum"},"content":{"rendered":"

A petition to ban the export of manganese ore to Russia is picking up the pace in Latvia. The public initiative gathered a third of the required signatures for a parliamentary debate in a single week. The Latvian rail sector has suffered from sanctions on Russia, but public opinion is heavily in favour of them.<\/strong>
\n<\/span>Manganese ore enters Latvia through the ports of Ventspils and Riga, and transits the country via rail. In 2023, 1,4 million tonnes were transported through Latvia to Russia. A ban on manganese ore exports to Russia would address two important issues, according to one of the petition\u2019s organisers. Firstly, it would limit the supply of raw materials to Russia\u2019s military industry. Secondly, it would alleviate the \u201chumiliation\u201d caused by the fact that Latvian infrastructure is used for those supplies.<\/p>\n

“I firmly believe that, as a country, we must unequivocally start with ourselves and set an example before we call on colleagues in the European Union to do so too. Of course, I am glad to see the narrative of government officials change too, but from the citizens’ perspective, our initiatives are one of the rare opportunities for a wider population to make their case,\u201d said a representative of the \u201cCode for Riga\u201d city council faction.<\/p>\n

Opposing views<\/h2>\n

A member of the Parliament\u2019s economic committee expressed his reservations about such a ban. According to him, a national ban would only lead to manganese ore transiting other countries, such as Estonia, Finland or Lithuania. “If only Latvia includes it in sanctions, we can predict that other ports in our region will take over this business and this ore will flow to Russia,\u201d he said. An EU-wide ban would help prevent such a situation.<\/p>\n

As a consequence of the sanctions imposed on Russia, Baltic rail operators have struggled with the loss of freight volumes. An earlier ban on Russian grain imports is projected to lead to losses of 40 million euros annually for the rail sector. However, the Latvian transport ministry pointed out that the Baltic rail sector has long been overdependent on Russian freight. The incurred financial losses have led rail operators to pursue alternative sources of income. For example, Latvian LDZ Cargo<\/a> announced plans to expand internationally.<\/p>\n

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