Minister Miriam Dalli affirms Malta’s readiness to work with the European Commission to seek regional solutions
Environment Minister Miriam Dalli once again called on the European Commission to carry out a more detailed assessment to include more non-EU Mediterranean ports under the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS) on maritime transport.
EU environment ministers discussed pending concerns on the implementation of the Emission Trading Scheme for the maritime sector during the Environment Council meeting in Luxembourg on Monday.
Minister Dalli reaffirmed Malta’s commitment to the measures adopted by the EU to tackle climate change. However, Malta has always raised the point that potential loopholes leading to unequal level playing field between EU ports and non-EU ports had to be addressed. More countries joined this call, asking the European Commission to manage the issue.
Wopke Hoekstra, European Commissioner for Climate Action, accepted the proposal for continued monitoring, and confirmed that the Commission, with the support of member states and other stakeholders in the ports, will continue monitoring and gathering information on the impact of the EU ETS on the overall competitiveness of the EU maritime sector.
“We will reach out to you to get the information you currently have available, and I think we should make sure that we continue that dialogue. If the information we’re gathering due to this close monitoring should be reason for additional action we should discuss it,” Commissioner Hoekstra said.
Minister Dalli confirmed Malta’s readiness to work with the Commission and the different Member states to closely monitor this matter and identify other avenues to resolve current concerns, pre-empting any repercussions. She also asked for a discussion on different avenues to support industry to mitigate risks to avoid carbon leakage.
Meanwhile, Minister Miriam Dalli urged for urgent regional and global solutions within the International Maritime Organisation to address the decarbonisation of the maritime sector to ensure a truly level playing field – a call which Malta consistently makes and will continue to make.
Malta ttenni t-talba tagħha għal aktar studji dettaljati biex jinkludu aktar portijiet tal-Mediterran li mhumiex fl-UE fl-estensjoni marittima tal-ETS
Il-Ministru Miriam Dalli tafferma li Malta lesta taħdem mal-Kummissjoni Ewropea biex tfittex soluzzjonijiet reġjonali
Il-Ministru għall-Ambjent Miriam Dalli għal darb’oħra appellat lill-Kummissjoni Ewropea biex twettaq valutazzjoni aktar dettaljata sabiex tinkludi aktar portijiet tal-Mediterran li mhumiex fl-UE taħt l-iskema għall-iskambju ta’ kwoti tal-emissjonijiet tal-UE (emissions trading system – ETS) dwar it-trasport marittimu.
Il-Ministri tal-Ambjent tal-UE ddiskutew it-tħassib dwar l-implimentazzjoni ta’ din l-iskema għas-settur marittimu waqt il-laqgħa tal-Kunsill tal-Ambjent fil-Lussemburgu nhar it-Tnejn.
Il-Ministru Dalli affermat mill-ġdid l-impenn ta’ Malta għall-miżuri adottati mill-UE biex tindirizza t-tibdil fil-klima. Madankollu, Malta dejjem qajmet il-punt li għandhom jiġu indirizzati lakuni potenzjali li jistgħu jwasslu għal kundizzjonijiet inugwali bejn portijiet tal-UE u portijiet mhux tal-UE. Aktar pajjiżi ingħaqdu ma’ din is-sejħa ta’ Malta sabiex il-Kummissjoni Ewropea tieħu ħsieb din il-kwistjoni.
Wopke Hoekstra, il-Kummissarju Ewropew għall-Azzjoni Klimatika, aċċetta l-proposta li jitkompla moniteraġġ, u kkonferma li l-Kummissjoni, bl-appoġġ tal-istati membri u partijiet interessati oħra fil-portijiet, se tkompli tissorvelja u tiġbor informazzjoni dwar l-impatt tal-ETS fuq il-kompetittività ġenerali tas-settur marittimu tal-UE.
“Se nitkellmu magħkom biex niksbu l-informazzjoni li għandkom disponibbli, u naħseb li għandna niżguraw li nkomplu dak id-djalogu. Jekk l-informazzjoni li qed niġbru permezz ta’ dan il-monitoraġġ tagħti lok għal azzjoni addizzjonali, niddiskutuha,” qal il-Kummissarju Hoekstra.
Il-Ministru Dalli kkonfermat ir-rieda ta’ Malta li taħdem mal-Kummissjoni u mal-Istati Membri differenti biex tiġi studjata mill-qrib din il-kwistjoni u jiġu identifikati soluzzjonijiet oħra biex jissolva t-tħassib attwali, u biex jevitaw kwalunkwe riperkussjonijiet. Hija talbet ukoll diskussjoni dwar soluzzjonijiet differenti għal appoġġ lill-industrija, biex ittaffi r-riskji u tevita r-rilokazzjoni tal-karbonju.
Intant, il-Ministru Miriam Dalli ħeġġet għal soluzzjonijiet reġjonali u globali urġenti fi ħdan l-Organizzazzjoni Marittima Internazzjonali biex tiġi indirizzata d-dekarbonizzazzjoni tas-settur marittimu u biex jiġu żgurati kundizzjonijiet tassew ekwi – sejħa li Malta tagħmel u se tkompli tagħmel b’mod konsistenti.