03 March 2023

COUNCIL AND PARLIAMENT CONTINUE TRILOGUES ON FIT FOR 55 PACKAGE

Over the last month, negotiations between the Parliament and the Council continued over the transport-related files of the Fit for 55 Package, namely the AFIR, FuelEU Maritime and the Renewable Energy Directive. Agreement is yet to be find on these texts.

The last trilogue for FuelEU Maritime took place on 16 February during the EP plenary session in Strasbourg. While the article mandating ships to connect to onshore power supply in ports have been agreed, the main provisions of the Regulation still needs further discussion, especially the GHG intensity limits on ships or the allocation of penalties. In addition, the Parliament also wants to introduce a sub quota for the use of RFNBO (Renewable Fuels of Non-Biological Origins) for ships, but continues to meet resistance from both the Council and the Commission. The next trilogue is scheduled for 22 March, when negotiators will try to reach a final agreement.

With regards to AFIR, Parliament and the Council are still far from an agreement. The last trilogue on 28 February allowed negotiating teams to discuss most of the articles, but they chose not to exchange on the targets for charging/refuelling stations for road vehicles, as it is still considered too sensitive. The main open issues concern provisions on the deployment of OPS, electricity supply to stationary aircrafts, the design of national policy frameworks, or access to information on the available infrastructure. The next (possibly final) trilogue will take place on 27 March.

Finally, discussions on the Renewable Energy Directive came to a halt as Rapporteur Markus Pieper (EPP, Germany) cancelled the trilogue meeting planned on 6 February, due to the European Commission failing to present a draft delegated act on renewable hydrogen. The Commission published this draft a week later, allowing for the resumption of discussions. Among other objectives, the Directive defines the share of renewable energy that must be reached in the transport sector – which includes hydrogen among Renewable Fuels of Non-Biologic Origin (RFNBOs). These provisions will be discussed at the next trilogue scheduled on 6 March.