Source: European Parliament
Priority question for written answer P-002734/2025
to the Commission
Rule 144
Anna Maria Cisint (PfE), Paolo Borchia (PfE), Susanna Ceccardi (PfE), Carlo Ciccioli (ECR), Carlo Fidanza (ECR), Roman Haider (PfE), Vilis Krištopans (PfE), Nicola Procaccini (ECR), Silvia Sardone (PfE), Roberto Vannacci (PfE), Marie-Luce Brasier-Clain (PfE)
At the 83rd session of the Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC83) in April 2025, the Net-Zero Framework (NZF) was adopted at the IMO (International Maritime Organisation) as a medium-term measure to reduce emissions from international maritime transport. Its implementing regulations and details will be defined at the MEPC’s extraordinary session in October 2025.
The NZF encompasses a rigorous path towards reducing the environmental impact of fuels used on board ships, together with ambitious taxation of CO2 emissions, with a view to achieving net-zero emissions by 2050, in line with the objectives of the Paris Agreement and the European Climate Law. The measure, which the EU has been pushing for, is global and allows for the decarbonisation of the sector without market distortions.
The EU’s regional measures – the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) and FuelEU Maritime – already significantly penalise the EU maritime and port sector compared to third countries and will become redundant, leading to unsustainable double taxation for the sector: they should therefore be abolished.
The very letter of the EU ETS Directive and FuelEU Maritime Regulation requires the Commission to review the rules should there be an IMO agreement, in order to avoid ‘significant’ double taxation.
In light of the above:
- 1.What criteria does the Commission use to judge whether double taxation is significant?
- 2.Does it agree there is a need to comprehensively ensure a global level playing field for EU companies in the maritime sector?
Submitted: 3.7.2025