- An alliance of Greek and Swedish shipowners, along with Transport & Environment (T&E) write to European Commission about ‘polluter pays principle’.
- They have called on the European Commission to put the ‘polluter pays principle’ at the core of its emissions trading system (ETS) proposal.
- In a letter to the Commission, the coalition demands that the maritime ETS be both ambitious and tailor-made to the industry.
Sam Hargreaves writes for Transport Environment about Europe’s shipowners call for fair and ambitious carbon pricing proposal in ‘crunch time’ for the EU.
What does the coalition ask the Commission?
The coalition asks the Commission to rule out free emission allowances to avoid punishing smaller companies that have less administrative capacity to take advantage of the system.
This, they say, would ensure both environmental effectiveness and a level-playing field.
They also back the European Parliament’s proposal of establishing an “Ocean Fund” under the ETS to fund research and development and the deployment of green fuels, among other things.
This comes as EU regulators outline the details and the scope of the scheme, which will define how shipping emissions are regulated in the coming years.
EU Commission is revising the EU ETS directive
The EU Commission is revising the EU ETS directive in line with the European Green Deal and it plans for the first time to include international maritime emissions.
The Commission proposal is expected in June.
Faig Abbasov, shipping director at T&E
- This is crunch time for the shipping industry.
- With the EU deciding on the details of its maritime carbon pricing, it is an opportunity to put shipping on a path to decarbonisation.
- A well-crafted proposal can achieve this without undermining the smooth functioning of the sector.
- Other shipping companies are welcome to join this industry-NGO coalition to push for an ambitious and effective proposal.
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Source: Transport Environment
