SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE, 17 May. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The heads of the port authorities in Santa Cruz de Tenerife and Las Palmas, Pedro Suárez and Beatriz Calzada, respectively, held a meeting on Friday with the Minister of Public Works of the Government of the Canary Islands, Pablo Rodríguez, to highlight concerns over a potential exodus of shipping companies due to the enforcement of new European emissions regulations.
The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the implications of the European Union Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS) in the maritime sector and to establish a plan of action to secure exemptions for the islands and prevent a decline in the competitiveness of the Canary Island ports.
Minister Pablo Rodríguez expressed the “deep concern prevailing in the Canary Islands” regarding the implementation of the primary tool of the European Union aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions. He warned that the enforcement of this scheme in the archipelago could lead shipping companies to reroute their maritime activities to neighbouring regions not covered by this directive.
In response, he stated that the archipelago is actively engaged in various initiatives to progress towards decarbonization and environmental protection, all while recognising the unique challenges posed by the fragmented and delicate nature of the islands, stressing the need to align environmental policies with the potential impacts on competitiveness.
Furthermore, Rodríguez lamented that “as an outermost region, the Canary Islands are compelled to continuously explain to Europe that applying these regulations in the archipelago will not achieve the intended goals but instead result in severe repercussions on connectivity, economy, and employment in the islands.”
Beatriz Calzada supported this stance by asserting that “the Canary Islands should be exempt from the EU ETS, as this regulation should be established by the International Maritime Organization to affect international maritime traffic uniformly, rather than solely within European territories.”
PROMOTING DECARBONIZATION
She emphasised that “Europe should offer incentives to shipping companies to expedite their decarbonization efforts, instead of imposing penalties that disadvantage outermost regions like the Canary Islands.” Calzada highlighted that only 4% of the global fleet currently under construction or in development is equipped to use alternative fuels.
She also mentioned a recent development, stating, “A commitment has been made to establish an observatory that provides pertinent data, creating a tool for accessing information swiftly and easily to confirm conditions in ports. This will enable us to present accurate data in Europe, advocating for a review of this directive.”
Pedro Suárez underscored the potential “exodus effect” as a critical consequence of implementing this regulation if exemptions are not granted.
“Initial discussions with some shipping companies have indicated that they may halt port calls if this regulation is enforced. We maintain that advocating for the specific circumstances of our archipelago as an outermost region is crucial to preserving international maritime traffic, essential not only for island connectivity but also for maintaining reasonable commodity costs that would become unsustainable without exemptions,” he stressed.
He further reiterated that an increase in freight costs “would be another undesirable outcome for our economy, affecting both citizens and the industrial sector.”
