With 555 votes in favour, 48 against and 25 abstentions, the European Parliament approved the provisional agreement with the Council of the European Union on the ‘Maritime FuelEU’ regulation on the use of low-carbon and renewable fuels in maritime transport at its plenary session on Tuesday 11 July.
The agreement, reached at the end of March (see EUROPE 13171/38), requires ships to gradually reduce their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by using other types of fuel. Ferries, cruise ships and container ships will be required to switch off their engines and connect to the electricity grid when docked in the main European ports.
“The new law on sustainable maritime fuels, is an ambitious yet realistic leap towards a cleaner future of the maritime sector”, said a delighted Jörgen Warborn (EPP, Swedish) during the debate on Monday 10 July. “It sets a clear course for the shipping industry, ensuring that every euro invested yields maximum benefit”, he added.
“This text will play a crucial role in decarbonising the maritime sector”, said the European Commissioner for Transport, Adina Vălean. It “keeps the door open to new technologies and allows technology suppliers to develop solutions meeting the need of different shipping segments”, she emphasised.
“This is by far the most comprehensive and ambitious bill to tackle marine emissions”, commented Mr Warborn at a press conference after the vote.
On the Council side, on Friday 2 June, the European Transport Ministers adopted a common position on each of the three legislative proposals in the ‘Fit for 55’ package concerning the transport sector: ‘FuelEU Maritime’, ‘AFIR’ (see other news) and ‘ReFuelEU Aviation’.
To read the text, go to https://aeur.eu/f/80g (Original version in French by Anne Damiani)