ECSA: EU Should Push to Make CO2 Roadmap Work

IMO European Community Shipowners Associations (ECSA) has invited the European policy makers and all stakeholders to join industry in seizing the momentum to make the International Maritime Organisations (IMO) greenhouse gas emissions roadmap work. The move was made on the back of IMOs latest decisions regarding global regulation of greenhouse gas emissions of shipping, agreed in late October. The roadmap foresees the adoption of an initial strategy in 2018 to meet the targets of the Paris Climate Agreement, which has just entered into force. The initial strategy will be validated by actual emission figures gathered through the IMO’s data collection system as of 2019, which will then lead to a final agreement on targets and measures, including an implementation plan, in 2023. ECSA said that the 2018 and 2023 deadlines are fully consistent with the process agreed in Paris. European policy makers and stakeholders were also invited to join the industry in showing leadership to make the IMO roadmap work, Patrick Verhoeven, ECSA Secretary General, said. He added that, on the other hand, pursuing regional measures such as an EU ETS or climate fund will seriously endanger international progress, in addition to having negative effects on trade and jobs. The EU should also build trust by aligning its MRV Regulation on the monitoring, reporting and verification of CO2 emissions to the global data collection system agreed in IMO.