17 July 2026
The European Sea Ports Organisation (ESPO) welcomes the European Commission’s recognition of the carbon and business leakage challenges created by the current EU ETS framework. ESPO sees certain efforts to address these issues in the proposal adopted today, yet fears that new problems may arise from the proposals on the table. A full assessment of the proposed measures is needed to clarify the impact on the level playing field of EU ports.
ESPO welcomes measures aimed at reducing evasive port calls through adjustments to the list of neighbouring ports, an issue that ESPO has consistently raised in recent years. ESPO considers the current proposals an important acknowledgement by the Commission that the current system has created distortions in competition between EU and neighbouring non-EU ports. ESPO and its members will have to review the concrete proposals and assess whether they are not too complex, nor creating new possibilities of evasion.
Furthermore, ESPO is against any measures that would extend the scope of EU ETS Maritime to certain smaller ships. We see clear signs of a modal backshift to road created by the current EU ETS and lowering the ETS threshold from 5,000 GT to 400 GT would clearly benefit the road transport sector even further. This is completely against the spirit of Europe’s policy to enhance short sea shipping.
Isabelle Ryckbost, Secretary General of ESPO: “We see a certain willingness of the Commission, recognising that carbon and business leakage are real issues that need to be addressed. While changes to the neighbouring ports list may help reduce certain forms of evasive behaviour, EU ports still suffer a disadvantage towards the surrounding non-EU ports. Moreover, new issues risk to arise with bringing the smaller shipping segment under the EU ETS. We will assess the Commission proposals and impact assessment from our side and hope that all legislators are open to consider our assessments with an open mind. The competitiveness of Europe’s ports and Europe’s economy and resilience are at stake.”
Last but not least, ESPO stresses the importance of reviewing the proposal once an agreement at the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) is reached on the Net-Zero Framework. “It is unclear at this moment in which direction the developments at IMO are evolving, but the global context and global solution must be taken into account”, Ryckbost adds.
ESPO remains fully committed to the decarbonisation of maritime transport and continues to support ambitious climate policies. At the same time, the organisation stresses that environmental objectives can only be achieved if measures effectively reduce emissions without simply shifting cargo, emissions and economic activity outside the European Union.
As the legislative process now moves to the European Parliament and Council, ESPO calls on the co-legislators to strengthen the proposal and deliver a solution that both safeguards climate ambition and restores a level playing field for Europe’s ports.
