TRANSPORT MINISTERS DEBATE FIT FOR 55 PACKAGE
On 9 December, the Transport Council held debates over a number of Fit for 55 Package, including ReFuelEU Aviation, FuelEU Maritime and the Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Regulation (AFIR). Ministers took note of the progress made on each file by the Slovenian Presidency and gave guidance for the future negotiations that will be conducted under the French Presidency as of 1st January 2022.
On ReFuelEU Aviation, ministers largely supported the objectives of the proposal. Several delegations highlighted the need to preserve connectivity and to take account of the specific situations of different Member States, through further flexibility on the number of airports covered by the Regulation. They stressed the importance of ensuring sufficient production and distribution capacity to supply the sustainable aviation fuels needed for the sector and to avoid market fragmentation.
Ministers welcomed the FuelEU Maritime proposal and took note of the progress made by the Slovenian Presidency to promote the use of renewable and low-carbon fuels in the “hard-to-abate” maritime sector. Some ministers stressed the importance of the global dimension, both for the ambitions to be pursued, especially within the International Maritime Organisation (IMO), but also to address concerns related to carbon leakage or re-routing which could be caused by the obligations to reduce ships’ greenhouse gas intensity and obligations imposed on European ports.
On the AFIR proposal, the debate focused on the deployment and uptake of the infrastructure dedicated to low- and zero-emissions heavy-duty vehicles. Despite broad support for the objectives and approach of the proposal, many ministers emphasised that one size does not fit all, and that flexibility would be needed to take account of national specificities, such as surface area, population and traffic density and geography. Some ministers questioned the target for the deployment of HDV-dedicated electric-charging infrastructure across the EU as emission-free technologies for HDVs are still being developed. Accompanying measures and incentives would be needed for a fast initial market development, but these should not hamper private investment.
Finally, a number of Member States including Estonia, Poland, Hungary, Cyprus, Bulgaria, Lithuania and Romania referred to the return of the vehicle provision as set out in the Mobility Package I, which are considered contradictory to the climate goals. The Commission was asked to take action to review the provisions in line with the results of the additional impact assessment.
Source: Council of the EU