The European Commission will investigate the role of an Irish plant in the supply of alumina to Russia
The European Commission has launched an additional analysis of the operations of the Irish Aughinish Alumina plant to assess its role in the supply chains of alumina to Russia and other third countries. Although an investigation by Irish authorities found no evidence that Irish alumina was used in the production of Russian weapons, Brussels intends to conduct its own assessment of the situation.
According to McGarry, the European Commission received a report from the Irish government that did not confirm the information regarding the use of domestically produced alumina by the Russian military-industrial complex.
“The European Commission is reviewing the report and analyzing the role of the Aughinish Alumina plant in the supply chains of alumina to Russia and other third countries,” the spokesperson said.
Once the analysis is complete, the EC plans to determine the next steps regarding this issue.
The European Commission emphasized that alumina shipments are not currently subject to European Union sanctions. According to McGarry, this is part of striking a balance between economic pressure on Russia and protecting the economic interests of individual EU member states.
At the same time, she stressed that any cooperation with the Russian defense industry or indirect support for the Russian military-industrial complex is strictly prohibited.
The spokesperson also noted that the responsibility for enforcing sanctions rests primarily with EU member states, which is why the Irish government conducted the initial investigation.
The European Commission representative did not specify whether Brussels would investigate the reasons behind the 25% increase in alumina imports to Russia following the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Earlier, a number of international media outlets, citing leaked documents and publicly available data, reported that the Irish plant Aughinish Alumina, which is part of the Russian Rusal Group, may be part of an international aluminum supply chain, whose products ultimately end up with manufacturers of weapons for the Russian military machine.
This was announced by European Commission spokesperson Shivon McGarry during a briefing in Brussels.
Ireland will submit the results of its investigation into the export of aluminum oxide, or alumina, to Russia, an aggressor state, to the European Commission. The investigation is being conducted by Ireland’s Department of Enterprise and Trade, according to “European Truth.”
