MEMBER STATES BACK ADDING EGYPTIAN PORTS TO ETS ANTI-EVASION LIST
EU Member States have approved the addition of the Egyptian ports of Abu Qir and Damietta to the list of neighbouring container transshipment ports covered by the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS). The draft implementing regulation received the backing of Member States in the Climate Change Committee on 16 September 2026, according to DG CLIMA.
The measure is intended to address the risk of container transshipment activities being shifted from EU ports to nearby non-EU ports in order to reduce ETS costs. Under the rules, calls at designated neighbouring transshipment ports are not treated in the same way as ordinary third-country port calls when calculating the maritime emissions covered by the EU ETS.
Abu Qir and Damietta will join Tanger Med in Morocco and Port Said in Egypt, which are already covered by the anti-evasion provisions.
The development comes as the Commission's July proposal to revise the EU ETS would further strengthen the anti-evasion framework for maritime transport. The proposal would broaden the criteria for identifying neighbouring container transshipment ports, with the aim of capturing more third-country ports where there is a risk of cargo diversion.