European transport and logistics associations propose changes to EU climate policies

Among the suggested changes to the proposals of the Fit package for 55, referring to the obligation for ships in ports to connect the on-the-ground electricity grid provided for in the FuelEU Regulation and specifying that it is positive that the proposed revision of the European directive on energy taxation allows total or partial tax exemptions for electricity supplied to ships at berth, FEPORT, CLECAT, ESC, SeaEurope, ESPO, EBU, EMPA, ETA, ECASBA, IWT, Waterborne and UIRR found that a mandatory total exemption for electricity in all Member States would produce better results. The lower it is the price of connection to the ground power grid - they have explained the associations - the greater the probability that ship operators opt for this clean solution. The associations have shown that also the application of a more harmonised tax rate across the EU is essential to ensure a level playing field between ports of the Union.

The twelve associations also stressed that the EU really wants to increase the spread of cold ironing plants in ports to allow ships to connect to the network electric ground, then most of the necessary investment should be public.

For FEPORT, CLECAT, ESC, SeaEurope, ESPO, EBU, EMPA, ETA, ECASBA, IWT, Waterborne and UIRR, you then need to continue to ensure technological neutrality as it constitutes a a key factor for innovation and, therefore, the FuelEU Regulation, which encourages cold ironing, should be changed. Second finally, associations are an essential prerequisite for success of the policies for the spread of cold ironing is the consistency between the various proposals of Fit for 55 and the alignment of these proposals with other EU policies.

About the EU strategy to reduce carbon emissions, recalling that, for the sectors covered by the Adjustment Mechanism of carbon at borders (CBAM), the European Commission seeks to phasing out emission allowances for various sectors covered by the EU Emissions Trading System (EU) ETS) that more than others are subject to competition international, encouraging sectors to reduce their emissions by eliminating allowances free of charge and at the same time avoiding carbon leakage with the introduction of a tax on imports based on their carbon content, the twelve associations invited the EU Commission to adopt a similar approach to ports and ships, i.e. by encouraging these sectors to reduce emissions while addressing the risk of relocation carbon emissions.

Recalling then that with the proposal for an EU ETS directive the maritime sector will have to gradually repay quotas for half of the emissions from non-EU maritime services and that, at the same time, the FuelEU Maritime Regulation will impose limits on greenhouse gas intensity to half of the energy consumed in non-EU maritime services, associations have noted that this application of the FuelEU and EU ETS provisions at calls at EU ports of extra-EU maritime traffic could make more economically attractive sea routes and stopovers in non-EU ports, such as those in the United Kingdom, of Russia or the Maghreb, thereby damaging the competitiveness of the EU maritime sector without producing really a reduction in emissions. FEPORT, CLECAT, ESC, SeaEurope, ESPO, EBU, EMPA, ETA, ECASBA, IWT, Waterborne and UIRR warned that, in particular for maritime transport short-sea, this will represent an additional limit competitive compared to less sustainable modes of transport and would therefore be in contradiction with mobility policies of the European Commission.

The associations also noted that the resources economic produced by the various proposals of Fit for 55 should be used to reduce emissions from the sector maritime and this - they specified - to a greater extent compared to when required by the EU ETS Directive and the Regulation FuelEU Maritime.