Brussels, 04/02/2011 (Agence Europe) - After their meeting with a group of high-level experts on Thursday 3 February, European Commissioners Siim Kallas (transport) and Connie Hedegaard (climate action) said that they would prefer to continue negotiations on reducing greenhouse gas (CO2) emissions from international maritime transport within the International Maritime Organisation (IMO). The European Commission's stated position has hitherto been that, if no progress was made at international level, the EU would bring in its own binding standards. “We discussed how Europe can best progress in order for the maritime sector to contribute to cutting greenhouse gas emissions if there is no international agreement” but “there should be no doubt: Europe must make every effort to help the IMO agree this year on global measures to curb greenhouse gas emissions from ships - now and in the long term”, Hedegaard said in a press release. The Commission says in the same press release that, for the maritime sector, the IMO remains best placed to achieve “measures which are the most environmentally effective and make economic sense” at global level. International maritime transport currently accounts for close to 3% of global CO2 emissions but emissions from ships are expected to more than double by 2050. International negotiations on climate change and the maritime sector continue within the IMO and under the auspices of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The EU high-level group is expected to meet twice again in 2011 in order to assess and accompany critical global maritime emissions negotiations during this year. (A.By./transl.rt)