European Council News

The European Council and Parliament have reached a provisional political agreement on a regulation for tracking and reducing methane emissions in the energy sector.The regulation introduces new requirements for the oil, gas and coal sectors to measure, report and verify methane emissions, as well as put in place mitigation measures to avoid such emissions, including detecting and repairing methane leaks and limiting venting and flaring. It also puts forward global monitoring tools to ensure transparency on methane emissions from imports of oil…

The European Council has adopted a new law to improve stability requirements for ro-ro ferries.The proposal to revise the existing directive originated from maritime accidents, such as the sinking of the Estonia in 1994. Ut It now ensures, as far as possible, consistency with the applicable international standards for the stability of damaged passenger ships recently updated in SOLAS - the IMO has introduced a probability of survival after a collision model for assessing the survivability of damaged ro-ro passenger ships…

The European Council has adopted five laws that are part of the Fit for 55 package, including the amendment to include shipping in the EU emissions trading system (ETS).The package sets the EU’s policies in line with its commitment to reduce its net greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% by 2030 compared to 1990 levels and to achieve climate neutrality in 2050.The vote in the Council is the last step of the decision-making procedure. The laws will now be signed by the Council and the European Parliament and published in the EU’s Official Journal before entering into force.After that time…

Ukraine’s president called on the international community on Monday to take immediate steps to end a Russian blockade of his country’s ports to allow wheat exports and prevent a global food crisis.President Volodymyr Zelenskiy made his comments in an online post after speaking to European Council President Charles Michel who was visiting the city of Odesa, a major Black Sea port for exporting agricultural products.“It is important to prevent a food crisis in the world caused by Russia’s aggressive actions,” Zelenskiy wrote on the Telegram messaging app.

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy called on Monday for immediate moves to open Ukrainian ports blockaded by Russia to allow wheat exports and prevent a global food crisis.In a post on the Telegram messaging app after speaking to European Council President Charles Michel, who was visiting the Ukrainian city of Odesa, Zelenskiy wrote: "It is important to prevent a food crisis in the world caused by Russia's aggressive actions.""Immediate measures must be taken to unblock Ukrainian ports for wheat exports," he wrote.(Reporting by Max Hunder, Editing by Timothy Heritage)

The kick-off ceremony for the realization of Gastrade SA's LNG FSRU facility in Alexandroupolis, Greece, was held on Tuesday, May 3, 2022, in the old Storage House of the Alexandroupolis Port Customs.Once delivered, the FSRU, with a capacity of 153,500 c.m. of LNG, will be moored in the offshore area 17.6 km southwest of the port of Alexandroupolis. It will be connected to the National Natural Gas Transmission System (NNGΤS) of Greece with a 28 km long pipeline, through which the gasified LNG will be transmitted to the markets of Greece…

Belgian offshore installation contractor DEME said Saturday that the "revolutionary" offshore installation vessel Orion officially joined its fleet.This next-generation vessel is equipped with a powerful 5,000-tonne crane and is designed to handle the massive turbines and foundations of the future.Amélie Michel, the spouse of  Charles Michel, President of the European Council, agreed to be the godmother of the Orion.In a traditional DEME naming ceremony, she wished ‘Orion’ and the crew a safe and successful career in the fleet.

European Council President Charles Michel called on Turkey to keep working to resolve disputes with Greece and Cyprus over gas rights in the Mediterranean as he visited Ankara on Tuesday to discuss trade and refugees with President Tayyip Erdogan.A row between Turkey and EU members Greece and Cyprus over offshore jurisdiction has strained ties, reaching a peak last summer when Turkish and Greek navy frigates escorted vessels exploring for hydrocarbons in disputed waters.The European Union backs Athens, while Ankara has accused the bloc of bias and of not honoring its pledges under a 2016 migrant deal.The visit by Michel and European…

London and Brussels agreed on Sunday to “go the extra mile” in coming days to try to reach an elusive trade agreement despite missing their latest deadline to avert a turbulent exit for Britain from the European Union’s orbit at the end of the month.British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and the president of the EU’s executive Commission, Ursula von der Leyen had given negotiators a Sunday deadline to find a way to resolve an impasse on arrangements that would guarantee Britain zero-tariff and zero-quota access to the EU’s single market.On Sunday they mandated negotiators to continue…

Tensions spiked between Greece and Turkey on Monday over offshore rights in the eastern Mediterranean, with Athens vowing to push its EU peers to activate sanctions against Ankara.The deterioration in relations followed the departure earlier on Monday of a Turkish ship, the Oruc Reis, to conduct work south of the Greek island of Kastellorizo, which is close to Turkey's southern coast.Greece's foreign ministry described the development as a "major escalation" and a "direct threat to peace in the region".Ankara had withdrawn the same vessel from contested waters in the eastern Mediterranean last month to "allow for diplomacy" before an EU summit at which Cyprus pushed for sanctions against Turkey."Turkey has proven it lacks credibility.

Cyprus is ready to engage in talks with Turkey to resolve differences but only "without blackmail and threats", President Nicos Anastasiades said on Wednesday.The two countries are locked in a dispute over drilling rights in the Mediterranean, and Turkey said on Tuesday it had extended a drilling vessel's operations in disputed waters off Cyprus until Oct. 12."Nicosia has been always ready for a dialogue but for that ... to be effective, it needs to be clearly defined based on international law…

The European Union is preparing sanctions against Turkey that could be discussed at the bloc's next summit on Sept. 24 in response to the eastern Mediterranean dispute with Greece, the EU's top diplomat said on Friday.The measures, meant to limit Turkey's ability to explore for natural gas in contested waters, could include individuals, ships or the use of European ports, Josep Borrell said. The EU would focus on everything related to "activities we consider illegal", he added.He…

The Maritime Day was established in 2008 by the European Council, the European Parliament and the European Commission as part of the European Union (EU) Maritime Policy to raise the awareness of the seas and their importance.This year, the annual event is being held over two days, 16-17 May, at the Lisbon Congress Centre in Portugal. The theme of the event is "blue entrepreneurship, innovation and investment to transform traditional maritime sectors and boost emerging technologies and value chains".Representing EU and Norwegian Shipowners, ECSA will be represented at the European Maritime Day 2019 by its Secretary-General Martin Dorsman.

Russia on Monday ignored Western calls to release three Ukrainian naval ships it fired on and captured near Crimea at the weekend and accused Kiev of plotting with its Western allies to provoke a conflict.Kiev in turn accused Russia of military aggression and put its armed forces on full combat alert, saying it reserved the right to defend itself. Ukrainian lawmakers were due to decide whether to introduce martial law for two months later on Monday, a move President Petro Poroshenko…

The international conference on maritime security and defense (MS&D), held for the seventh time in Hamburg during the SMM maritime trade fair, focused on current and future challenges to maritime security and defense. Twenty naval, industrial and science experts discussed topics such as how to protect international ocean trading routes, when and how to deploy naval forces on crisis missions, as well as cyber security issues.The welcome address opened the event with somber words as Rear Admiral Thorsten Kähler…

The EU working party responsible for advising the EU Brexit negotiators paid a visit to the port of Antwerp on Monday 28 May. The working party is made up of representatives of the 27 EU countries, the European Commission and the European Council. During their visit to the Border Inspection Post and the Antwerp Gateway Terminal the European diplomats learned about the various procedures involved in importing and exporting goods in and out of the European Union. The aim of the visit was to find out the practical implications of the various Brexit scenarios. Jacques Vandermeiren, CEO van het Havenbedrijf Antwerpen said: "The UK is an extremely important market for the port of Antwerp, generating an annual freight volume of more than 14 tonnes.

European Union leaders called on Friday for a temporary exemption from U.S. import duties on steel and aluminium to be made permanent, saying they reserved the right to respond in an "in a proportionate manner" to protect the bloc's interests. The 40-day exemption granted by Washington was like U.S. President Donald Trump "putting a gun to our head", Belgium's prime minister complained. The EU's trade negotiator demanded that the United States drop "artificial deadlines". Trump said on Thursday he would suspend tariffs for the EU…

The European Community Shipowners’ Associations (ECSA), of which the UK Chamber is a member, have sent a letter to the EU’s chief negotiator Michel Barnier, urging the EU for “rapid and positive” progress in trade talks with the UK. The European Council is currently engaged in a key vote on whether the next stage of negotiations will commence. ECSA represents shipowners from both sides of the Channel – organisations that facilitate a sizeable chunk of the €639 billion of trade that flows between the UK and EU annually. Until now, there has been no formal position from large, private-sector EU bodies on trade negotiations between the UK and the EU.

International Maritime Organization (IMO)  Secretary-General Kitack Lim has written to senior European officials expressing his concern that including shipping in the European Union’s Emission Trading System (EU-ETS) could undermine efforts to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from shipping on a global basis. In a letter to Martin Schulz (President of the European Parliament), Jean-Claude Juncker (President of the European Commission) and Donald Tusk (President of the European Council), Lim acknowledged that the EU had an ambitious policy for addressing emissions and recognised that Member States might wish to enhance the progress made to date. However, he cautioned against extending the EU-ETS to include ships.

The European Council has extended the mandate for European Union Naval Force Somalia (EU NAVFOR) - Operation ATALANTA - until 31 December 2018, which means Cohort company MASS will continue to provide the Classified Mission Network for the enduring Operation. Operation ATALANTA was launched in December 2008 to contribute to the deterrence, prevention and repression of acts of piracy and armed robbery off the Somali coast. The operation also protects vessels of the World Food Programme and other vulnerable shipping, monitors fishing activities off the coast of Somalia and supports other EU missions and programmes in the region. MASS provides the core operational mission network for the effective command and control of this multi-national Operation both ashore and afloat.

The recent months’ uptick in global indicators, which implies a strengthening in the global economy, is not sufficient for the patient to be discharged yet. The state of the global economy is still uncertain, despite stronger growth dynamics in advanced economies, and not least in China. When the IMF updated its outlook for advanced economies for 2017 and 2018 in January, it was the first time since 2007 that an IMF January update lifted expectations for the present and coming years.

Politicians, industry stakeholders and maritime Flagship Projects agree that there is a need to focus on cross-sectorial cooperation, education and training as well as enforcement of regulations in order to turn the region into a leading clean and safe. Representatives from the European Commission, the European Parliament, the maritime industry and maritime Flagship Projects under the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region (EUSBSR) on may 30th 2017 convened in Brussels to discuss the potentials and future priorities for maritime safety and security and clean shipping in the Baltic Sea Region. Cooperation is needed if the aim of making the Baltic Sea Region a global frontrunner in terms of clean and safe shipping is to be achieved.

European shipowners and European transport workers speak together to warmly welcome today’s adoption of a Council Directive improving seafarers’ working conditions. This change will implement an agreement between the European Community Shipowners’ Associations (ECSA) and the European Transport Workers’ Federation (ETF), which will bring European rules up-to-date with international best practice. The new rules oblige shipowners to provide financial security protecting seafarers against the consequences of abandonment in an overseas port. In addition, this agreement ensures the payment of contractual compensation in the event of the death or long-term disability of a seafarer resulting from an occupational injury, illness or hazard.