Criticizing the insufficient progress of IMO emission reporting requirements, the EU took more decisive action to decarbonize the maritime sector. On Tuesday, the Environment Committee voted to include CO2 emissions from the maritime sector in the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS) and set a new target of 40% reduction in shipping CO2 by 2030.
The Commission has put forward a proposal to revise the EU system for monitoring, reporting and verifying CO2 emissions from maritime transport (EU MRV Regulation) and bring it in line with new obligations under IMO to monitor emissions from 2019 and report in 2020.
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In the legislative report approved (62 votes to 3 and 13 abstentions) on Tuesday, the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety Committee welcomed the proposal, but wants to see more ambition and voted to include ships of 5000 GT and above in the EU ETS.
This comes in line with the ‘European Green Deal’, a 24-page agenda for the environmental in Europe by the European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, which made headlines last summer. The new climate policy foresaw inclusion of the maritime sector in the EU ETS, following years of contradictory negotiations.
In addition, MEPs say that market-based emissions reduction policies are not enough, so they also introduced binding requirements for shipping companies to reduce their annual average CO2 emissions per transport work, for all their ships, by at least 40% by 2030.
Today, we are sending a strong signal in line with the European Green Deal and the climate emergency: Monitoring and reporting CO2 emissions is important, but statistics alone do not save a single gram of greenhouse gas! That’s why we are going further than the Commission proposal and demanding tougher measures to reduce emissions from maritime shipping,
…said rapporteur Jutta Paulus (Greens/EFA).
Meanwhile, the committee calls for an “Ocean Fund” for 2023-2030, financed by revenues from auctioning allowances under the ETS, to make ships more energy efficient and to support investment in innovative technologies and infrastructure, such as alternative fuel and green ports, to decarbonise the maritime transport sector.
An estimated 20% of the revenues under the Fund shall be used to contribute to protecting, restoring and efficiently managing marine ecosystems impacted by global warming.
MEPs agree that it is important to align the EU and IMO reporting obligations, as proposed by the Commission. However, they believe there is insufficient progress in the IMO and ask the Commission to examine the overall environmental integrity of the measures decided upon by the IMO, including the targets under the Paris Agreement. A global ambitious agreement on GHG emissions from shipping is urgently needed,
…an official statement by the European Parliament says.
The Parliament will be ready to start negotiations with member states on the final shape of the legislation in September.
To date, maritime transport remains the only sector with no specific EU commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. In 2015, 13% of the overall EU greenhouse gas emissions came from the transport sector.
