LONDON, Dec 8 (Reuters) - The European Union (EU) should go beyond banning aluminium wire, foil, tubes and pipes produced in Russia by sanctioning Russian aluminium metal for a greater impact, industry group European Aluminium said on Friday.

EU members are looking at a proposal for a 12th package of sanctions, which includes bans on aluminium wires, tubes and pipes, a small proportion of EU aluminium imports from Russia.

"We regret the fact that the vast majority of Russian aluminium exports to the EU (more than 85% of the total), in particular primary metal, look set to remain outside of the scope of the measures," European Aluminium said in a letter sent to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

In the first nine months of 2023, EU imported almost 500,000 metric tons of Russian aluminium and aluminium products worth 1.26 billion euros ($1.37 billion), according to Eurostat data. (Reporting by Pratima Desai; Editing by Jan Harvey)