Subject: Impact of the EU Emissions Trading System on the maritime sector and activity in south European ports
The extension of the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) to maritime transport was adopted in September 2023. It is one of the main tools for reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the maritime sector in the framework of the Green Deal and the Fit for 55 targets. However, some European harbours will face specific challenges in obtaining financial investments and in trading in general.
The European Dockworkers Council (EDC), representing 12 countries, 14 trade unions and more than 15 000 European workers took a positive view of the environmental impacts of this extension of the EU ETS but considers that some southern European ports are particularly likely to suffer negative impacts. Ports such as Sines (in Portugal), Algeciras, Barcelona and Valencia (in Spain) and Malta could see their port activity significantly reduced, mainly container transhipment activity.
Given this:
1. What input on European dockers’ and port workers’ activity has been taken into account in the study on the social impact of the EU ETS Directive?
2. Has the Commission considered the need to draw up a list of the non-EU ports to which the ships affected could be diverted before the extension of the EU ETS to the shipping sector is fully implemented?
Submitted: 21.11.2023
Answer given by Mr Hoekstra on behalf of the European Commission
(2 February 2024)
All sectors, including the maritime sector, need to contribute to the EU emissions reduction target. The recently revised EU Emissions Trading System (ETS) Directive (1) is an important tool for achieving the objective and providing certainty to the sector.
The green transition offers opportunities to decarbonise the maritime sector and increase its competitiveness. EU ports can benefit from ETS auctioning revenues to Member States or from the Innovation Fund.
From 2024, shipping companies operating large vessels and calling at EU ports will be subject to the ETS, with a gradual introduction of the surrendering obligations during the period 2024-2026.
The possible circumvention of obligations under the ETS could have negative environmental and socioeconomic impacts. This risk was carefully looked at in the impact assessment (2) that accompanied the ETS proposal in 2021 and thoroughly discussed with the two EU co-legislators.
As a result of this process, the ETS includes several measures to mitigate the possible risk of circumvention, including a measure to address the risk of relocation of transhipment activities, which consists in disregarding stops by container ships in certain neighbouring container transhipment ports where the risk is the highest (3).
The related implementing act (4) was adopted in 2023. It identifies two neighbouring container transhipment ports and will be revised every two years.
Stakeholders were consulted throughout the process, notably within the relevant expert groups and through public consultations. In relation to the above-mentioned implementing act more specifically, a public consultation was carried out from 21 August to 18 September 2023. This feedback was taken into due consideration.
1 ∙ ⸱ Directive 2003/87/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 October 2003 establishing a system for greenhouse gas emission allowance trading
within the Union and amending Council Directive 96/61/EC (OJ L 275, 25.10.2003, p. 32). 2 ∙ ⸱ Commission Staff Working Document Impact Assessment Report — Accompanying the document Directive if the European Parliament and of the Council amending Directive 2003/87/EC establishing a system for greenhouse gas emission allowance trading within the Union, Decision (EU) 2015/1814 concerning the establishment and operation of a market stability reserve for the Union greenhouse gas emission trading scheme and Regulation (EU) 2015/757, SWD/2021/601 final (https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=SWD:2021:0601:FIN ). 3 ∙ ⸱ To be identified as a neighbouring container transhipment port, the port must be located outside the EU, but less than 300 nautical miles from an EU port and the port’s share of transhipment of containers must exceed 65% of the total container traffic of the port. A port to which the third country effectively applies measures equivalent to the EU ETS Directive is not to be identified as a neighbouring container transhipment port. 4 ∙ ⸱ Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/2297 of 26 October 2023 identifying neighbouring container transhipment ports pursuant to Directive 2003/87/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council (OJ L, 2023/2297, 27.10.2023).