A front is forming, all Mediterranean, to ask the European Union for a change of pace on shipping policies and, in particular, on the revision of the maritime ETS. The change of pace, specifically, emerged at the end of a meeting attended by the Deputy Minister of Infrastructure and Transport Edoardo Rixi, the Deputy Minister of Transport of Cyprus Marina Hadjimanolis, the Greek Minister of Infrastructure and Transport Vasilis Kikilias and the Maltese Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Chris Bonett. Specifically, Greece, Cyprus, and Malta in Limassol shared with Italy the need to strengthen coordination among Mediterranean countries and to build a common position ahead of upcoming European and international discussions on shipping competitiveness and decarbonization.
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“On the future of European shipping, the Mediterranean must make its voice heard,” said Rixi, “we cannot accept that rules designed to accelerate decarbonization end up shifting traffic, investments, and competitiveness outside Europe. Italy, Greece, Cyprus, and Malta have a shared responsibility and today strengthen a front that must count in the Union’s decisions.”
“For Italy,” reads a note released by the MIT, “the revision of the ETS must ensure a real balance between environmental objectives and the competitiveness of the European maritime system, with particular attention to Mediterranean ports, transshipment, cabotage, island connections, and regional maritime transport. The extension of the system to ships between 400 and 5,000 GT also risks producing new costs precisely on the most exposed segments. The discussion aims to transform the convergence among the four countries into a common political strategy, capable of influencing the EU Council and also dialoguing with extra-European maritime states that have a decisive weight in IMO negotiations. The preparatory document indeed emphasizes the need to overcome an exclusively European logic and to build broader alliances to reach a global agreement.”
“We cannot ask our companies,” concludes Deputy Minister Rixi, “to compete with one hand tied behind their backs. The Mediterranean cannot be considered a periphery of Europe when it comes to trade, ports, and economic security. It is one of its main gateways and a strategic component of its competitiveness. For this reason, Italy, Greece, Cyprus, and Malta must stand together and make this position count in Brussels and at the IMO.”
