Ep Environment Committee News

The global trade association for shipowners, the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS), says that a unilateral decision by the European Union to incorporate international shipping into its regional Emissions Trading System (ETS) will polarise and impede current discussions on additional CO2 reduction measures at the UN International Maritime Organization (IMO). “Non-EU nations will be disappointed and very concerned by yesterday's vote in the European Parliament Environment Committee following IMO's adoption just a few weeks ago of a comprehensive road map for action,” said ICS Director of Policy and External Relations, Simon Bennett.

The groups representing European Parliament's (EP) environment committee are urging European leaders to include international shipping in the global climate deal scheduled to be signed in Paris in December. The 28 EU member states meet on 18 September to finalise their position for The UN Framework Convention on Climate Change conference (COP 21) to be held in Paris in December. The heads of 7 of the 8 political groups of the EP's committee has written  to the Environment Ministers of the 28 EU countries urging them to include shipping. In the letter they noted that international shipping and aviation already accounted for 8% of global greenhouse gas and emissions from shipping were expected to grow by 50 – 250% by 2050.

The world’s national shipowners’ associations in nearly 50 countries – represented by the European Community Shipowners’ Associations (ECSA), the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) and the Asian Shipowners’ Forum (ASF) – have united to condemn proposed amendments, to be voted on by the European Parliament this week (probably on April 18), on a new EU Ship Recycling Regulation. Shipowners especially object to the proposal by the EP Environment Committee to impose a tax on merchant ships of all flags calling at EU ports to fund ship recycling facilities in the European Union.