Shipping faces ETS inclusion vote next week
In the coming days the European Parliament is set to decide on proposals to rapidly bringing shipping into the blocs emission trading scheme. It is a move which is objected to by ship owner groups , but welcome by environmental groups who see it as a way to put further pressure on the International Maritime Organization. A plenary meeting of the Parliament in Strasbourg (as well as with remote participation) will at some point vote on a proposal being promoted by European parliamentarian Jutta Paulus – the so called Rapporteur – who has amended a proposal within the Parliaments environment committee to align the European system for ships to report emissions with the global one now in force by the IMO.
A rapporteur is a member of the European Parliament made responsible for handling a legislative proposal drawn up by the European Commission, both procedurally as well as with regard to the substance of the proposal.
However the proposal has gone the other way, and not only calls for the inclusion of all ships calling at European ports into the emission trading scheme, but for these vessels to be subject to a mandatory 40% of efficiency improvement – based on the data submitted to the European monitoring and reporting scheme.
Ms Paulus spoke exclusively to Fathom World’s Craig Eason for the next edition of the Aronnax Podcast where she stated her belief that the time is right for shipping to now be drawn into the scheme as there was now much broader support to do so. The Commission president Ursula von Der Leyen has expressed her desire for shipping to be included, and Germany, which now has the European presidency, is proposing strong environmental goals.
Subscribers to the Fathom World Newsletter will be able to access the full interview, excerpts will be available on the next Aronnax Podcast episode.
