A cross-party group of 20 MEPs has asked the European Commission to assess whether alumina should be added to the list of goods subject to export restrictions to Russia, following reports that a Russian-owned refinery in Ireland is supplying the Kremlin's defence industry. The written question, submitted on 8 May 2026, targets the Aughinish alumina refinery in County Limerick, owned by Rusal, which exports alumina to Russian smelters in Siberia. According to an investigation by The Irish Times and the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project, the aluminium produced from that alumina ends up in over 100 Russian defence companies, 40 of which are already under EU sanctions, manufacturing missiles, tanks and combat jets used in the war against Ukraine.
Three concrete asks
The MEPs, led by Pina Picierno (S&D, Italy) and including Elisabetta Gualmini (Renew, Italy), Sergey Lagodinsky (Verts/ALE, Germany) and Ondřej Krutílek (ECR, Czechia), put three specific questions to the Commission. First, they ask whether the Commission will assess the inclusion of alumina among goods subject to export restrictions to Russia, given its documented use in the Russian military industry. Second, they ask what measures the Commission intends to take to ensure that exemptions from the sanctions regime do not structurally weaken the effectiveness of EU restrictive policies towards Russia. Third, they ask whether a Member State systematically lobbying to exempt a Russian-owned company operating on its territory from European sanctions is compatible with the principle of sincere cooperation enshrined in Article 4 of the Treaty on European Union.
Stakeholders and policy direction
The question directly challenges the Irish Government's position. The Irish Government has repeatedly lobbied both the US and the EU to keep Rusal exempt from sanctions, citing job protection at the Aughinish refinery, which employs hundreds of workers. The MEPs argue that it is unacceptable that, while the EU funds Ukraine's defence, a Russian-owned company operates undisturbed within a Member State, supplying the Kremlin's military industry. The policy direction is toward tightening sanctions by closing a perceived loophole: alumina is not currently subject to export restrictions, despite its end-use in Russian weapons production. The MEPs are pushing for a stricter interpretation of sanctions enforcement, prioritising security over economic considerations.
Expected follow-up
The Commission is required to reply to written parliamentary questions within approximately six weeks. Its answer will signal whether it considers the current sanctions framework sufficient or whether it is open to expanding the list of restricted goods. The question also puts pressure on the Commission to clarify its view on Member State lobbying for sanctions exemptions, which could have broader implications for the coherence of EU foreign policy.
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