EU hesitates to target Irish plant accused of supplying Russia’s war industry

{"text":[[{"start":9.7,"text":"EU officials are hesitant about proposing measures against an Irish alumina factory accused of producing raw materials used to make Russian weapons deployed in Ukraine, for fear of cutting off supplies critical for European industry."}],[{"start":23.44,"text":"The Irish government conducted an inconclusive investigation last week into whether alumina produced by Russian-owned Aughinish Alumina is turned into aluminium used in Moscow’s military supply chains, after"}],[{"start":33.24,"text":"a report in the Irish Times suggested that output from the plant was sold to a trading house that supplies a major military-industrial hub in Russia."}],[{"start":43.72,"text":"Dublin is under pressure from other EU capitals over the future of Europe’s largest alumina plant, but officials warn that targeting Aughinish would jeopardise supplies to EU aluminium smelters supplying car and defence industries as well as electricity grids."}],[{"start":58.68,"text":"“If we sanctioned the company, we’d be cutting ourselves off,” said one EU official."}],[{"start":64.04,"text":"Aughinish is owned by Rusal, a Moscow-based conglomerate that was founded by sanctioned Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska. He owns 45 per cent of En+, which is a majority shareholder of Rusal."}],[{"start":75.72,"text":"The Irish report, which was shared with the European Commission and seen by the FT, said the government “has not identified evidence sufficient to substantiate allegations that alumina produced by Aughinish Alumina Ltd is supplied to, used by, or otherwise directly linked to the Russian military”."}],[{"start":92.52,"text":"“If penalties were to be imposed and subsequent sanctions were to be applied either to the company or the export of the product, the viability of the company would be at risk,” the report said."}],[{"start":null,"text":"

"}],[{"start":103.36,"text":"In the first five months of 2026, Aughinish sent 52 per cent of its output to Russia and 34 per cent to France, Sweden and the Netherlands combined, the report found."}],[{"start":114,"text":"It also increased its exports to Russia by about 23 per cent between 2022, the year of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and 2025."}],[{"start":123.62,"text":"Aughinish Alumina said on Monday that it had co-operated with the government review and had developed a framework with Rusal “to provide further enhanced traceability” of its alumina."}],[{"start":132.68,"text":"The Irish Times first reported on the report’s contents."}],[{"start":null,"text":""}],[{"start":135.96,"text":"The Irish plant, in south-west Ireland, is responsible for 37 per cent of smelter-grade alumina consumed by Europe’s industrial base, according to the company, making it central to the EU’s target to process 40 per cent of critical raw materials within the bloc by 2030."}],[{"start":154.72,"text":"The Irish government said on Friday that “no information of a sufficient evidentiary level is currently available to confirm the assertions that alumina from Ireland is entering the supply chain of Russian military contractors”, according to Peter Burke, Ireland’s enterprise minister."}],[{"start":171.56,"text":"The Commission, which received the Irish report last week, was “assessing it,” a spokesperson said on Friday, adding that “for the time being, it’s really too early for us to draw any conclusions as to what it may contain”."}],[{"start":185.16,"text":"It was unlikely that any sanctions would be discussed before the end of August when normal business resumes in Brussels after the summer break, officials said. Sanctioning the plant would require having alternative supplies of alumina in place, said another official."}],[{"start":200.28,"text":"While the EU has banned Russian aluminium imports from this year, it has not banned exports of aluminium, alumina or bauxite — the intermediate product and primary ore used to make aluminium, respectively — from the EU to Russia."}],[{"start":216,"text":"Several countries, including Ukraine’s closest allies in the Baltics, have pushed for alumina exports to be sanctioned but have failed to reach the necessary consensus. EU sanctions need to be unanimously agreed among all 27 member states, which is something that has become increasingly difficult."}],[{"start":239.08,"text":""}]],"url":"https://audio.ftcn.net.cn/album/a_1785216972_5050.mp3"}