PRESS RELEASE: Statement by NABU’s shipping expert Beate Klünder on the European Commission’s impact assessment of a Mediterranean emission control area (ECA):
Beate Klünder, transport policy officer at Germany based environmental group NABU said:
“Designating the Mediterranean Sea an emission control area (ECA) would result in significant socio-economic benefits. Hence the European Commission’s impact assessment reconfirms latest findings of the French ECAMED report which has been published two weeks ago. Both studies come to the conclusion that a combined SECA and NECA will have the greatest benefit as this design would result in cleaner and healthier air for all residents in Mediterranean countries. Up to 10.000 people’s lives can be saved and the socio-economic benefits cannot be denied. Llittoral states now have to cooperate towards the implementation of a Mediterranean ECA in order to reduce shipping emissions in the region significantly and save their citizen’s lives.”
Background: Yesterday the European Commission published its impact assessment on a Mediterranean ECA. The research had been carried out by the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA). The report had been released just two weeks after the French government – who announced plans to designate a Mediterranean ECA – presented its respective impact assessment. The IIASA study can be found here: http://www.iiasa.ac.at/web/
For more information please feel free to contact: Beate Klünder, shipping expert at NABU – Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Union Germany; mail: Beate.Kluender@NABU.de, phone: +49 30 284 984 1615
