Committee on Transport and Tourism Extraordinary meeting
Legend
Transcript markers
- text Sentence being played
- text Search result
- text Intervention cited by the link you opened
Click a sentence to play the video from that moment. Select text to quote it with the speaker, timestamp and link.
More options
Offset
Transcript offset
Export
Replay
Versions of this video
Transcripts may differ slightly from one version to another.
TRAN European Parliament
Follow its sittingsElissavet Vozemberg-Vrionidi
We close the vote. It's adopted. 24, 11 and four abstentions. We go to compromise four. Who is in favor?
Who's against? Abstentions? Adopted. Compromise five. In favor?
Against? Abstentions? It's adopted. Compromise seven. In favor?
Against? Abstentions? Adopted. Compromise one. In favor?
Against? Abstentions? Adopted. And we go to the final vote. It's roll call vote.
We open the vote. We close the vote. It's adopted. 34 in favor, none against, seven abstentions. Congratulations.
And now we proceed. If you want some of colleagues to leave, please quietly because we have to continue. Thank you very much. So let's now move on to the next agenda point, which is the consideration of the draft opinion to ENVI on the EU emissions trading system and market stability reserve, competitiveness and cost-effective decarbonisation. This targeted revision on the EU ETS directive aims to strengthen industrial competitiveness and support the delivery of the EU's 2040 climate target, including through strengthened provisions for aviation and maritime transport.
I would like to remind you, dear colleagues, that the deadline for the tabling amendments has been set for 6 October 2026 at 12:00 and that the secretariat has sent last week a tailor-made document with partial tips to help you table your amendments correctly on the ETS opinion. Now, I would like to invite the rapporteur to present the draft opinion. Mr. Ricci, you have the floor, sir, for three minutes. Where is Mr. Ricci?
Matteo Ricci
Thank you, President. Dear colleagues, I will speak Italian.
Presento oggi il mio progetto di parere sulla revisione del sistema europeo di scambio delle quote di emissione, una riforma decisiva per i trasporti europei. Parto da una premessa chiara: sostengo l'architettura della proposta della Commissione e la sua ambizione al 2040. Il prezzo del carbonio funziona e va mantenuto. Ma per aviazione e trasporto marittimo, settori strategici che collegano le nostre isole e le nostre regioni periferiche e competono ogni giorno con vettori e porti extraeuropei, serve un passo in più. Il carbonio che pagano deve tornar loro come certezza di investimento.
L'ambizione climatica e la competitività non sono alternative. La crisi di Hormuz ce lo ha ricordato: dipendere dai combustibili fossili importati è anche un problema di sicurezza. Produrre in Europa carburanti sostenibili significa rafforzare la nostra autonomia strategica. Il parere si articola in tre blocchi. Il primo: passare dal pagare all'investire.
Propongo infatti che il 75% dei proventi delle aste vada alla decarbonizzazione e che almeno il 70% di quanto generato da aviazione e trasporto marittimo torni a questi due settori, con un quadro di valutazione annuale su quanto ciascun Stato membro reinvesta davvero. Aumentiamo inoltre a 200 milioni di quote sia la riserva per i carburanti sostenibili nell'aviazione, sia quella del meccanismo SMAP del settore marittimo, con la possibilità di trasferirne fino a 90 milioni ciascuna alla banca per la decarbonizzazione industriale per finanziare la produzione di e-fuel in Europa. Riserviamo inoltre almeno il 15% del fondo per l'innovazione ai trasporti, con una regola semplice: nessun doppio finanziamento. Il secondo punto: la dimensione internazionale. L'obiettivo resta una soluzione globale in ICAO e IMO.
Sostengo l'estensione proposta dalla Commissione ai voli entro i 5000 km. Dopo il 2032, però, la deroga per i voli extraeuropei resterà solo se CORSIA dimostrerà su dati oggettivi risultati equivalenti ai nostri. Altrimenti si torna alla regola generale: tutti i voli in arrivo e in partenza. È così che rafforziamo la posizione dell'Europa nei negoziati internazionali. Il terzo punto: la parità di condizioni.
Un prezzo del carbonio eludibile penalizza due volte chi lo rispetta. Per questo propongo un meccanismo annuale di monitoraggio della rilocalizzazione del trasporto marittimo. Sul traffico container, che è sotto forte pressione, sostengo la misura complementare della Commissione, ma la lego alla distanza del viaggio, un criterio secondo me più semplice da applicare. E tuteliamo la coesione territoriale: per isole, regioni ultraperiferiche e servizi pubblici, un'applicazione graduale fino al 2040 invece di continue proroghe. In sintesi, propongo un patto con questi settori: un prezzo del carbonio mantenuto ed esteso, in cambio però della certezza che le risorse tornino in innovazione, carburanti puliti e capacità produttiva in Europa.
Sono consapevole che la tempistica è stata molto serrata e che non abbiamo avuto tutto il tempo che un dossier di questa portata meriterebbe. Proprio per questo sono pronto a confrontarmi con tutti i relatori ombra per costruire insieme una posizione condivisa e forte per la commissione trasporti da sottoporre alla commissione ENVI. Grazie.
Elissavet Vozemberg-Vrionidi
Thank you very much, Mr. Ricci. Now we'll give the floor to the shadow rapporteurs for two minutes each, please, beginning with Nina Carberry from the EPP.
Nina Carberry
Thank you, Chair, and thank you to Mr. Ricci. Thank you for presenting your draft report and for the work you have done within a very tight timeframe. This is a highly technical file, but it is rightly being given priority because it directly affects both Europe's competitiveness and our ability to decarbonize. As EPP shadow, I've worked closely with colleagues and delegations to prepare a broad package of amendments. Our starting point is clear: the ETS must continue to drive emissions reductions.
But the aviation and the maritime sectors paying into the system must have a more credible way of financing the cleaner fuels, technologies, and infrastructure they need. Competitiveness, connectivity, and avoiding double payment therefore are central to our amendments. First, we propose raising the minimum share of ETS revenues directed towards decarbonization purposes from 50 to 75%. We also place tech neutrality at the heart of the package. For maritime, we propose increasing the support reserve from 110 million up to 400 million allowances through to 2040.
We also broaden that support beyond fuels to include energy efficiency, retrofitting, port infrastructure, and other decarbonization technologies. We are seeking fairer access for smaller shipping companies and better geographical balance, particularly for islands and the outermost regions. We do not support bringing vessels under 5,000 tons into the ETS at this stage. We also address transshipment and carbon leakage risks. Strengthening interaction with future IMO measures will be vital for global coordination, and we support a credible book-and-claim system with safeguards against double counting.
For aviation, the main concern raised from the Commission's proposal has been the 5,000-kilometer extension. That's why our EPP TRAN amendments retain a realistic internal EU scope. Keeping CORSIA central for international aviation and seeking to avoid double charges will be very important moving forward. We also propose a separate aviation reserve of up to 400 million allowances through to 2040, including at least 100 million for e-fuels, and stronger support for long-term fuel contracts and book-and-claim. These amendments are about making decarbonization deliverable while keeping investment and jobs in Europe.
To put it simply, if we do not back the carbon market with sufficient investment, it will fail. Once the amendments have been formally presented tomorrow, I hope we will have a constructive negotiation period with you, Mr. Ricci, and all of the shadows. Thank you very much.
Elissavet Vozemberg-Vrionidi
Thank you very much, Mrs. Carberry. Mr. Gambino is here? No. Mr. Oetjen, please, he will speak on behalf of Mr. Christensen for Renew.
Jan-Christoph Oetjen
Yes, thank you, Chair, and grazie Matteo per il lavoro fatto.
But I'm speaking on behalf of Renew shadow Asger Christensen today. For Renew, the main priority in this revision is to ensure that ETS supports decarbonisation without undermining the competitiveness of European transport. For maritime transport, we need to keep the global perspective in mind. Shipping is a global business, and we must avoid double payment and unnecessary double burdens between the EU ETS and the future global IMO measure. A strong and effective global solution should remain our objective.
We also need a workable solution for offshore. The current system is not designed for offshore operations. It makes little sense to force companies into a temporary system before moving them to a new offshore-specific framework only a few years later. We should instead ensure a smooth transition towards the new system in 2031. For aviation, competitiveness is equally important.
European airlines and hubs should not be put at disadvantage compared to competitors outside Europe. At the same time, we should strengthen the incentives for sustainable aviation fuels and make the system more flexible. This is why Asger strongly supports solutions such as book and claim, and you know that there is a book and claim initiative ongoing at the same time, where we received some amendments, but we want to table the approach taken in this INI in TRAN as well for the ETS and we hope for your support. Finally, the ETS should not only create costs. More of the revenues should be used to help aviation and maritime transport decarbonise, support new technologies and scale up sustainable fuels.
These are some of Asger's main priorities, and we look forward to working constructively on them during the negotiations. Thank you.
Elissavet Vozemberg-Vrionidi
Thank you very much, Mr. Oetjen. Mrs. Lena Schilling from the Greens.
Lena Schilling
Thank you so much, dear Chair. Thank you so much for the draft report. We were looking into it and first of all, also very nice of you to mention our climate targets, the Paris alignment and also mentioning how important the ETS tool was already in the past, because we are in a situation where we see the emission trading system as it is being weakened to an amount that I'm concerned with what we're seeing here, that we would not be able to reach anymore our climate targets as given. But let's focus on the transport sector today where we have of course a crucial role. Maybe I will start with one, I just will point out a few points, you will see we have a lot amendments, but it's very good that we hear on the revenues that I think we are on the same page with also the shadow rapporteurs that we need to use the revenues for decarbonisation.
We need to use the revenues also for the decarbonisation in the transport system and also to actually help people achieving that, helping the industry achieving it with this focus on decarbonisation. Therefore, it would be also a focus for us that we see what the actual financial support on technologies is that have a long-term decarbonisation potential and not just support a quick fix, so to say, there are no quick fixes that we know, but really see on the theme of competitiveness over a long term what are the technologies that are working, like electrification, wind propulsion, renewable e-methanol, renewable e-ammonia and renewable hydrogen, that are just some of the things I wanted to emphasize. Then for us it would be crucial that the scope of the ETS should be extended to all departing flights as soon as possible. I know this will be a tricky point, as well as that the ETS should be extended to cover ro-pax passenger ships below 5,000 gross tonnages, but not below 400 gross tonnages. And maybe just the last point, for us one point we would like to see included is the question of contrail and contrail avoidance and the climate impact.
So there we would suggest a 2 million allowance per year for contrail avoidance for aircraft operators that submit a plan yearly to the European Commission and that should be allocated to them after the verification of the avoided non-CO2 impacts.
But I'm very much looking forward to this negotiations. ENVI is in the lead, but I'm very happy to work constructively with you and find a good compromise on this TRAN opinion.
Elissavet Vozemberg-Vrionidi
Thank you very much. And now we start the second round with colleagues who asked the floor for one minute, starting with Monsieur François Kalfon from the S&D. One minute, please.
François Kalfon
Madame la Présidente, cher Matteo, l'Europe brûle et je ne regarderai, nous ne regardons pas ailleurs. Depuis 1990, les émissions de l'aviation ont plus que doublé. Celles du transport maritime n'ont cessé d'augmenter également. Pour autant, nous avons laissé proliférer les exemptions fiscales et les concurrences déloyales d'un autre temps. Alors je le dis avec force, l'aviation d'affaires et les jets privés, les compagnies du Golfe qui drainent les hubs européens, les ports concurrents de la Méditerranée doivent payer leur juste part dans la décarbonation.
Et donc, comme tu le proposes Matteo, cet argent doit être fléché vers trois objectifs clés. D'abord, déployer les carburants souverains, SAF et e-SAF, et permettre que cette filière par ailleurs se développe. Financer l'innovation industrielle en Europe. Soutenir la transition verte dans les régions ultrapériphériques. Chers collègues, nous n'avons plus le choix.
Si nous n'appliquons pas mieux le principe du pollueur-payeur, nous n'aurons ni la décarbonation ni la justice sociale.
Elissavet Vozemberg-Vrionidi
Merci Monsieur Kalfon. Mr. Schnurrbusch, for one minute, please.
Volker Schnurrbusch
Yeah, thank you very much, Chair, and thanks to the rapporteur. The proposal has important implications for aviation and maritime transport, where higher compliance costs could affect European airlines, airports, shipping companies, and logistics chains. At the same time, the increased focus on sustainable aviation fuels, carbon removals, and international carbon credits raises questions about technological neutrality, cost-effectiveness, and the flexibility available to business to achieve emissions reductions. Because of this, it would be important to us to clarify how far the rapporteur and the shadow rapporteurs intend to address these aspects in the Parliament's position, particularly with regard to competitiveness, proportionality, technological neutrality, administrative burden, and the avoidance of unnecessary additional EU-level intervention and usage of taxpayers' money. Thank you.
Elissavet Vozemberg-Vrionidi
Thank you very much. And last speaker, Mrs. Rosa Serrano Sierra.
Rosa Serrano Sierra
Gracias, Presidenta. Vemos que la propuesta de la Comisión poco a poco va reconociendo que existe un riesgo real de evasión de emisiones hacia puertos de terceros Estados. Los nuevos requisitos para definir qué es un puerto de escala van en la buena dirección, pero creemos que todavía podemos mejorar la propuesta. Nos preocupa especialmente el riesgo de que las rutas marítimas de larga duración, de larga distancia, perdón, se fragmenten, que un servicio que actualmente llega directamente a un puerto europeo termine en un puerto de un tercer Estado y que los contenedores lleguen después a Europa en buques más pequeños. Esto supondría una uberización de los contenedores porque seguiríamos contaminando y además se reducirían las emisiones contabilizadas dentro del ETS.
Por eso vamos a presentar enmiendas, primero para cubrir adecuadamente las rutas con riesgo de desvío y revisar los descuentos para evitar que se generen incentivos para desviar tráfico fuera de la Unión. En definitiva, buscamos el objetivo que no es otro que mejorar la sostenibilidad, la cohesión territorial y unas condiciones de competencia justas para nuestros puertos. Gracias.
Thank you very much. Is any other colleague want the floor? So I ask Mrs. Polona Gregorin, head of unit DG CLIMA. She's online, yes, she will be intervening. Good afternoon, Mrs. Gregorin.
Polona Gregorin
Good afternoon. Yes, hopefully you can hear me. Good afternoon, Madam Chair, good afternoon, rapporteur, honorable members. Let me quickly react on the draft report. First of all, thank you very much to the rapporteur for it.
The Commission very much welcomes the fact that the report is, or the opinion is overall aligned with the objective of the Commission proposal. We welcome the clear support in the opinion of the application of the EU ETS to departing extra-European flights to destinations within the 5,000 kilometer radius, and also extension of the EU ETS to certain categories of smaller vessels. However, we have some concerns. Let's say on aviation, one of the concerns is some changes that were made on how we assess CORSIA performance, including participation of third countries in CORSIA, where the changes to the calculation of third country participation really risk low ambition, making the test effectively moot, while the Commission proposal, which is basically keeping the current approach in the directive, ensures that the EU airlines, which are implementing CORSIA, are facing a level playing field with airlines from the biggest emitting countries. On maritime, we also welcome the rapporteur's support for the principle of ensuring a level playing field for EU ports.
We fully support this aim. And while we understand the rapporteur's aim in this regard, the Commission notes that the proposal already ensures that there's a new measure for container transshipment, which is both effective and proportionate. While some of the changes proposed by the rapporteur, notably broadening this measure to all container ships, regardless of whether they actually operate activities which are subject to or exposed to the risk of evasion, make the, possibly make this new measure first of all not targeted, and then of course in turn that means that it significantly undermines the environmental integrity of the EU ETS. So with that, I would just like to reiterate we very much welcome the report, and I think we, this is a very good basis for further negotiations. Thank you.
Elissavet Vozemberg-Vrionidi
Thank you very much, Mrs. Gregorin, for your comments. And now the floor is yours, Mr. Ricci, to conclude the debate.
Matteo Ricci
Sì, velocemente. Credo che ci siano le condizioni per arrivare ad un compromesso che tenga insieme il più possibile la nostra commissione, in la commissione TRAN, in un dialogo ovviamente con la Commissione Europea. Aspetto gli emendamenti che domani dovrete presentare ufficialmente. Su alcuni di questi, secondo me, sarà facile arrivare ad un'intesa, su altri avremo maggior discussione, come il tema dello scopo per l'aviazione e il tema di CORSIA. Però, insomma, sono fiducioso.
In questa commissione abbiamo sempre lavorato molto bene. Credo che anche su questo rapporto, su questa opinione, potremo ad arrivare ad un'intesa abbastanza larga in commissione. Quindi grazie per l'apporto che avete dato, aspetto gli emendamenti e ci metteremo da subito al lavoro per un confronto.
Elissavet Vozemberg-Vrionidi
Thank you very much, Mr. Ricci. And now let's move on to the consideration of the draft opinion to ENVI on the maritime transport monitoring, reporting and verification and alignment with revisions of the EU Emissions Trading System. The MRV proposal was separate from the general ETS proposal only for issues of legal form, but completes the set of legislative acts regulating the EU ETS. I would like to remind you, dear colleagues, that the deadline for tabling amendments has been set for 6 October 2026 at 12. Now I would like to invite the rapporteur to present the draft opinion.
Mrs. Le Callennec, the floor is yours for three minutes.
Isabelle Le Callennec
Merci, Madame la Présidente, chers collègues, mon projet d'avis porte sur la simplification du système MRV et la création d'un cadre commun ETS européen FuelEU Maritime. Pour rappel, le MRV, vous venez de le faire, c'est le système de surveillance, de déclaration et de vérification des émissions des navires. Derrière ce texte technique, l'enjeu est pourtant concret : accompagner la décarbonation du secteur maritime avec des règles plus simples, proportionnées et adaptées à la réalité du terrain. Avec cet avis, j'ai quatre objectifs. Le premier, c'est la simplification.
Je soutiens la création d'un système unique pour ETS et FuelEU Maritime. Il est en effet nécessaire de réduire les doublons et les charges administratives. Cette simplification doit se traduire par un allègement réel pour les entreprises. Le deuxième objectif, c'est la proportionnalité, il en était question à l'instant. Je ne suis pas favorable à l'extension du MRV aux navires de moins de 5000 tonnes de jauge brute sans évaluation complète préalable ni analyse d'impact approfondie.
Nous devons mesurer les conséquences pour les petits opérateurs, les PME et les dessertes régionales, tout en évitant les fuites de carbone et un report du transport maritime vers la route. Troisième objectif, c'est la prise en compte des activités offshore. Leurs opérations ne peuvent pas toujours être assimilées à du transport maritime classique. Je propose donc de suspendre leur inclusion dans l'ETS tant que des règles de suivi adaptées à leurs activités ne sont pas pleinement opérationnelles. Il ne s'agit pas de renoncer au suivi des émissions, mais de disposer d'un cadre pertinent avant d'imposer les obligations correspondantes.
Enfin, la transition maritime doit renforcer notre industrie européenne. Je souhaite qu'une part très significative des recettes de l'ETS maritime soit réinvestie dans l'ensemble de la chaîne de valeur maritime : les carburants durables, les ports, les chantiers navals et les équipements. Ces investissements doivent soutenir nos emplois et notre capacité industrielle. Je compléterai moi-même ce projet d'avis par des amendements visant par exemple à privilégier une solution mondiale dans le cadre de l'OMI, l'Organisation maritime internationale, plutôt qu'un mécanisme proposé d'extension du système européen à des pays tiers.
Je pense que nous aurons le débat ensemble. En tout cas, je serai très attentive aux remarques des rapporteurs fictifs sur ce dossier. Mon objectif est de construire ensemble un avis TRAN qui soit fort et équilibré, qui concilie la compétitivité, la souveraineté industrielle européenne et l'ambition climatique. En espérant que nos recommandations soient pleinement prises en compte par nos collègues de la commission ENVI et cohérentes avec le rapport de notre collègue Ricci qui va être donc amendé par nous-mêmes, chers collègues de la commission TRAN. Je vous remercie.
Elissavet Vozemberg-Vrionidi
Merci, Madame Le Callennec. I will give now the floor to the shadows for two minutes, starting with Mr. Ştefan Muşoiu, S&D.
Ştefan Muşoiu
Merci, Madame Chair, dear colleagues, we want to move forward with the decarbonisation of our maritime sector while safeguarding the competitiveness of Europe's ports, our maritime industry and our supply chains. The recent disruption to global energy flows remind us that Europe's dependence on imported fossil fuels is also a vulnerability for our economy and our supply chains. Decarbonising maritime transport is therefore not only about reducing emissions, it is also about strengthening Europe's energy security and resilience in the long term as well as protecting our seas for today and future generation. This is why I believe the approach taken by S&D Matteo Ricci on the ETS file, which is to phase in the surrender obligation for smaller vessels, is preferable to simply delaying their inclusion in the ETS. It allows us to maintain the direction of travel on decarbonisation while recognising the need to manage the impact of smaller operators and the supply chains they serve.
We need to maintain incentive for investment in energy efficiency, clean propulsion and sustainable maritime fuels while ensuring that our maritime industry remains competitive throughout this transition. This is why we strongly support the pragmatic changes in the monitoring, reporting and verification proposal that reduce unnecessary administrative and compliance costs.
Elissavet Vozemberg-Vrionidi
Very English slower because on the interpreters cannot, you are too fast. Yes. Thank you.
Ştefan Muşoiu
Okay. Simplifying reporting, but you told me I have just two minutes, so. It should be good.
Elissavet Vozemberg-Vrionidi
You have to include the four minutes in two. Okay. Well understood.
Ştefan Muşoiu
Okay, so I have four minutes. Simplifying reporting and verification should not mean weakening our climate ambition. It should mean making the framework more efficient, proportionate and fit for purpose. Good regulation should give industry the certainty to invest in the clean transition while avoiding unnecessary duplication and bureaucracy. In this spirit, I support the Commission's pragmatic approach and intend to keep my amendments limited to a small number of technical changes to the annexes with the objective of supporting further simplification.
Thank you very much.
Jeannette Baljeu
Thank you so much and thank you to the rapporteur for a draft report. I think we can come along a long way, especially when it comes to cutting red tape for companies. And also we see comparison with no payment for unfit rules.
We see that the MRV, the monitoring, reporting and verification system for offshore ships, does not work, as admitted by themselves from the European Commission. And we need to fix this first. We cannot ask offshore ships to pay for something that is not fit for their own work. So I think we can agree on a lot with the rapporteur, but we are also looking for maybe some amendments in the way that we would like to see a fixed date for the system. I think it's important that companies can plan.
We would like to see that we measure first and pay later, so there's no ETS payment for offshore until 2031, the Commission's own date. And we should set new rules by mid-2028 so companies can measure from 2029. This is also ensures a level playing field, and level playing field should be on two ways in our opinion. All ships between 400 and 5,000 gross tonnage should be measured from 2028 and should be paying from 2031 if the calculation system works. So try to find a fixed date, but only if the calculation system works.
And on anti-circumvention, for example, we see that Dutch dredgers from Rotterdam pay, but a non-EU ship doing the same work from the UK base does not. And I think we should fix this as well. A work site in EU waters must count as an EU port to ensure level playing field. Thank you.
Lena Schilling
Yes, thank you so much. Thank you for the draft report. The colleague from the Social Democrats said already a lot of points, so I will not need my two full minutes, which is very good for us, then we are earlier done. I think there are two key priorities I still want to emphasize and then two more technical things and corrections I want to add. The first thing is that we would appreciate inclusion of all high-emitting private yachts and general leisure craft of 24 meters in length overall or above, regardless of tonnage.
And the second point is that we would like to see that parameters that are already monitored, such as fuel type breakdowns, custom emission factors, speed, etc., would be publicly available without creating, and that's the point, without creating more administrative burden. And then two points for a clarification. I think there are two corrections that we can make. One is of the penalty formula of the Annex 4, Section B, to make sure that the penalty formula does not punish cleaner vessels anymore in comparison to vessels that burn a dirtier fuel mix. And a correction of the RFNBO.
We can go into detail. Yes, thank you so much.
Volker Schnurrbusch
Thank you very much. And one minute for Mr. Schnurbusch, please.
Yeah, thank you, Madam Chair, and thanks to the rapporteur. Let me just say that we support this draft opinion. So thanks very much. We should indeed avoid extending MRV and EU ETS obligations to additional vessels below 5,000 gross tonnages before the current system has been properly evaluated. The maritime ETS has only been applied since 2024, and we do not yet have sufficient evidence of its full impact.
A premature extension could create disproportionate administrative and compliance cost, particularly for small operators and SMEs. Second, offshore vessels require specific considerations. Their operations often involve dynamic positioning, standby periods, anchoring and specialized equipment. Current monitoring parameters do not adequately capture these activities. Their inclusion in the EU ETS should therefore wait until the revised activity-based MRV framework is fully operational.
Our opinion, let me finally state this, one minute is up, to ENVI should mirror our ambition to secure the success of maritime industry in Europe.
Elissavet Vozemberg-Vrionidi
Thank you very much, Mr. Schnurbusch. And last speaker for a special reason, Mrs. Kyllönen, for one minute.
Merja Kyllönen
Thank you, Madam Chair. Thank you, dear rapporteur. I just want to pick up one thing. It's not only offshore operations, it's also icebreaker services which are particularly challenging because they require very high level of power, reliability, and operational flexibility. For icebreakers in particular, energy consumption is driven not simply by distance traveled, but by the condition in which the vessel has to operate.
Breaking heavy ice requires significant additional propulsion power while the safety and reliability of these vessels are critical for maintaining maritime connectivity and security of supply. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Elissavet Vozemberg-Vrionidi
Thank you very much, Mrs. Kyllönen. And now Mrs. Polona Gregorin online from the DG CLIMA. Mrs. Gregorin? Not connected? Yes.
Polona Gregorin
Great. Thank you again, also to the rapporteur of this opinion. It's indeed a very important opinion that goes hand in hand with the ETS directive proposal on maritime. I think we're very happy to see that the draft opinion stays the course on simplification and alignment with FuelEU, which is the main aim of the proposal. And while we acknowledge the balance sought by the rapporteur through the changes proposed, we would nevertheless stress a couple of aspects that are amended by the rapporteur that have carefully been assessed in the impact assessment.
One is indeed inclusion of small vessels. I hear that, you know, some members want to have more vessels included, some members want to have fewer vessels, more vessels included. I think the Commission proposal strikes the balance in the sense that it's proportionate. We only propose to extend the scope to the types of vessels that represent the biggest emitting vessels, or biggest emitting type of vessels, so not all, to strike that balance between administrative burden and environmental effectiveness. But we also need to keep in mind that all sectors and all segments of the economy need to reduce their reliance on fossil fuels.
It's a question also of competitiveness, not only environmental benefit. And of course all sectors need to contribute to the EU climate targets, especially if we go to net zero by 2050. And similarly on offshore segment, we fully agree that there is room for improvement, which is what the proposal aims to do, to ensure a level playing field for operators of offshore activities that are EU operators as well as non-EU operators, to ensure level playing field between the two. But also here we would be very concerned by postponing or excluding offshore activities from the EU ETS for similar reasons. We simply need to have all sectors contributing to climate action and again reducing reliance on fossil fuels as soon as possible.
And we do think that the Commission proposal ensures this while also ensuring a level playing field for the EU operators. Thank you.
Elissavet Vozemberg-Vrionidi
Thank you very much, Mrs. Gregorin. And now Madame Gelenne, two minutes to conclude the debate. Thank you.
Isabelle Le Callennec
Oui, merci Madame la Présidente. Merci pour vos premières remarques. J'en ai pris bonne note. J'entends qu'il y a des points de convergence et c'est très encourageant. Qu'il y a des précisions à apporter et peut-être qu'il y aura des sujets de dissension entre nous.
En tous les cas, sachez que moi je lirai vos amendements très attentivement. Le calendrier, comme vous le savez, est très serré du fait de la procédure accélérée. Donc il nous faudra engager rapidement le travail sur les amendements et les compromis. Vous pourrez compter sur ma disponibilité pour cela et celle de mon équipe pour avancer dans un esprit constructif. Et j'ai bien entendu ce qu'a dit à l'instant la représentante de la DG CLIMA sur la question de l'éligibilité en fait aux différents vaisseaux et sur cette question des activités offshore.
Et j'ai noté ce que vous avez dit par exemple sur les brise-glaces que j'avais pas intégré jusqu'à présent. Voilà. Donc merci beaucoup pour ces premiers échanges et puis et bien faisons vite et bien. Merci.
Elissavet Vozemberg-Vrionidi
Thank you very much. And now, dear colleagues, we have come to the end of our meeting tonight. Please note that our next meeting will take place on 19 October 2026 in Strasbourg. Many thanks to participants, interpreters, ushers, technicians and the Interactio team. I wish you a very nice evening.
And now we will continue in camera with the coordinators. Thank you very much.