Recital 20

(20) Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from maritime transport account for around 3 to 4 % of Union emissions. In the European Green Deal, the Commission stated its intention to take additional measures to address greenhouse gas emissions from maritime transport through a basket of measures to enable the Union to reach its emission reduction targets. In this context, Directive 2003/87/EC should be amended to include maritime transport in the EU ETS in order to ensure that that sector contributes its fair share to the increased climate objectives of the Union as well as to the objectives of the Paris Agreement, which in Article 4(4) states that developed countries should continue to take the lead by undertaking economy-wide emission reduction targets, while developing countries are encouraged to move over time towards economy-wide emission reduction or limitation targets. While emissions from international aviation outside Europe were to be capped from January 2021 by global market-based action, an action that caps or puts a price on maritime transport emissions is not yet in place. It is therefore appropriate that the EU ETS cover a share of the emissions from voyages between a port under the jurisdiction of a Member State and a port under the jurisdiction of a third country, with the third country being able to decide on appropriate action in respect of the other share of emissions. The extension of the EU ETS to maritime transport should thus include half of the emissions from ships performing voyages arriving at a port under the jurisdiction of a Member State from a port outside the jurisdiction of a Member State, half of the emissions from ships performing voyages departing from a port under the jurisdiction of a Member State and arriving at a port outside the jurisdiction of a Member State, all of the emissions from ships performing voyages arriving at a port under the jurisdiction of a Member State from a port under the jurisdiction of a Member State, and all of the emissions within a port under the jurisdiction of a Member State. This approach has been noted as a practical way to solve the issue of common but differentiated responsibilities and capabilities, which has been a longstanding challenge in the UNFCCC context. The coverage of a share of the emissions from both incoming and outgoing voyages between the Union and third countries ensures the effectiveness of the EU ETS, in particular by increasing the environmental impact of the measure compared to a geographical scope limited to voyages within the Union, while limiting the risk of evasive port calls and the risk of delocalisation of transhipment activities outside the Union. To ensure a smooth inclusion of the sector in the EU ETS, the surrendering of allowances by shipping companies should be gradually increased with respect to verified emissions reported for the years 2024 and 2025. To protect the environmental integrity of the system, where fewer allowances are surrendered compared to verified emissions for maritime transport during those years, once the difference between verified emissions and allowances surrendered has been established each year, an amount of allowances corresponding to that difference should be cancelled. From 2026, shipping companies should surrender the number of allowances corresponding to all of their verified emissions. While the climate impact of maritime transport is mainly due to its CO2 emissions, non-CO2 emissions represent a significant share of emissions from ships. According to the Fourth IMO Greenhouse Gas Study 2020, methane emissions increased significantly over the period from 2012 to 2018. Methane and nitrous oxide emissions will likely grow over time, in particular with the development of vessels powered by liquefied natural gases or other energy sources. The inclusion of methane and nitrous oxide emissions would be beneficial for environmental integrity and for incentivising good practices. Those emissions should first be included in Regulation (EU) 2015/757 from 2024, and they should be included in the EU ETS from 2026.

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Source: EUR-Lex (Cellar) · retrieved 2026-10-14 · Text as adopted (Official Journal); later amendments are not incorporated in this text.