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Last week, CLECAT and 9 other organisations representing all parts of the maritime supply chain issued a joint statement calling for the earmarking of the EU ETS revenues to the European maritime sector to foster its decarbonisation. The purpose of this statement is to reiterate the signatories’ support for the objectives of the European Green Deal, EU Climate Law and the Paris Agreement. As an important part of the European economy, shipping and the maritime ecosystem at large have a key role to play in achieving those objectives and contributing to ambitious climate action in Europe.

The organisations call on the EU Member States and the Members of the European Parliament to earmark the revenues generated from the inclusion of the shipping sector in the EU ETS for the maritime sector in order to foster its decarbonisation. To this end, the signatories strongly support the establishment of a dedicated fund for the maritime sector under the EU ETS, as proposed by the European Parliament.

CLECAT and the other organisations believe that all these revenues should, inter alia:

• Contribute to lowering the price gap between conventional and low- and zero-carbon fuels, so that they become commercially available;
• Fund R&D and innovation projects for low- and zero-carbon fuels and propulsion technologies considering operational and critical safety issues associated with the supply and use of low- and zero-carbon fuels;
• Fund the scaling up and deployment of low- and zero-carbon fuels and propulsion technologies on board vessels and infrastructure on shore;
• Support the investments in ports in order to deploy the infrastructure for low- and zero-carbon fuels, connections to electricity grids, energy storage as well as stepping up the supply chain for renewables and offshore energy.

Finally, the transition towards decarbonisation not only requires retaining and ensuring the growth of the maritime workforce, but the maritime sector at large will need updated training requirements, upskilling and reskilling to meet the EU climate targets. The earmarking of the EU ETS revenues will be vital to address this need successfully