Regionalism: A Threat to both Competitiveness and Decarbonisation
Regional measures in the combat of GHG emissions:
- obstruct the reaching of an international agreement,
- pose a threat to shipping, being obliged to comply with diverse revenue generating mechanisms, without due regard to the industry’s characteristics,
- endanger the uninhibited trade flows around the world,
- undermine the competitiveness of the region which has adopted them, and
- essentially bear no environmental benefits.
At a European level, also in the context of the EU’s quest for global competitiveness, regional measures, such as the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS) and the FuelEU Maritime Regulation, which unduly penalise shipping and the EU end-consumer, must be withdrawn.
At the moment, the EU shows signs of relaxation in its environmental ambition in certain sectors, but shipping continues to be burdened with revenue generating measures and unattainable targets. This favours the modal shift to less environmentally friendly modes of transport. Shipping has seen its share of total transport work in the EU fall compared to road transport during recent years[9]. But in the EU, 73% of GHG emissions from transport come from road transport, whereas shipping accounts for just 13%[10]. This modal backshift towards more-polluting transport modes must be effectively addressed and the important role of short sea shipping must be acknowledged.
A patchwork of regional regulations is an obstacle to a carbon-free future and menacing for trade and shipping’s sustainability.
[9] Eurostat, Key figures on European transport - 2025 edition, 2026
[10] European Commission, EU transport in figures - Statistical pocketbook 2025, 2025