EU Toilet Ban Costs Italian Firms USD162.4M
(MENAFN) Italian businesses face multimillion-euro losses after the EU’s ban on selling toilets and other sanitary ware to Russia, according to the head of a Moscow-based business union.
The restrictions, which initially targeted sanitary ware—including toilets and bidets—in 2022, were renewed last week under the EU’s 19th sanctions package.
Vittorio Torrembini, head of the Association of Italian Entrepreneurs in Russia, criticized the move as damaging to Italian companies. “Unfortunately, the 19th sanctions package is a highly negative outcome, given the sectors it targets. It deals a significant blow to Italy,” Torrembini told media on Tuesday.
Torrembini estimated that the ban on sanitary ware exports alone will cost Italy about €140 million ($163 million), while total losses from the latest sanctions package could reach €250 million ($291 million). “The ban on toilet sales may sound amusing to Russians, but for us it is no laughing matter,” he said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin derided the EU’s measure last week, stating it “will cost them dearly.” He added, “they will need Russian toilets if they keep the same policies.”
The EU implemented the expanded sanctions shortly after US President Donald Trump confirmed that his planned in-person summit with Putin in Budapest had been postponed indefinitely. Russian authorities have claimed that the restrictions have strengthened the national economy, asserting that the country has successfully adapted by reorganizing supply chains.
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