Gozo ferries to be exempted from tougher environmental requirements after EP vote

The European Parliament has voted in favour of more ambitious EU rules aimed at improving the use of renewable and low-carbon fuels in maritime transport, but Maltese MEP Josianne Cutajar managed to secure an amendment giving ferries transporting passenger to Gozo and similarly small islands some breathing space before the need to implement the stricter environmental requirements.

The MEP welcomed the approval of Parliament’s position charting a cleaner future for the maritime industry. In comments to CDE.News, the S&D MEP said that maritime transport employs two million Europeans and accounts for around 75% of EU external trade and 31% of EU internal trade in terms of volume.  400 million passengers embark or disembark annually in ports of Member States, including around 14 million on cruise ships. “Maritime transport is therefore an essential component of Europe’s transport system. This sector is also very important for Malta’s competitiveness and connectivity since as an island we are highly dependent upon maritime and air transport”, she argued.

Among the notable proposals making way into Parliament’s position on the draft rules, the maritime sector is being called to cut greenhouse gas emissions from ships by 2% as of 2025, 20% as of 2035 and 80% as of 2050 compared to 2020 level. This would apply to larger ships, which are responsible to over 90% of CO2 emissions. Passenger ships will be required to use onshore power supply while at berth as of 2030.

In this context, MEP Josianne Cutajar negotiated an amendment to ensure that ferries providing a passenger service to islands with a population smaller than 100,000 people will be exempted from these changes until 2029. Expressing satisfaction at the support towards her amendment, Cutajar called on the European Commission to consider the need of islands in its proposals, particularly in relationship to the wave of energy and climate related proposals.

“Small islands depend on aviation and maritime connections, and it is imperative that the Commission takes such realities into consideration to ensure that no region is left behind”, Cutajar explained. At Committee level, the MEP tabled several amendments to ensure that Parliament obtains overall consistency with the Union’s climate via the maritime sector’s decarbonisation, whilst at the same time preserving competitiveness, fostering sustainable economic growth targets and ensuring that the situation of peripheral regions and islands are taken into account.

The EPP’s Swedish MEP Jurgen Warborn, rapporteur on sustainable maritime fuels added: “This is by far the world’s most ambitious pathway to maritime decarbonisation. Parliament’s position ensures that our climate targets will be met rapidly and effectively, safeguarding the maritime sector’s competitiveness and ensuring there won’t be carbon leakage or jobs leaving Europe.”

On the basis of the position taken by its MEPs, Parliament will enter into discussions with Member States on the final wording of the rules.