12/21/2023
The European Union (EU) has a major goal - to make Europe climate neutral by 2050. In order to achieve this, the EU Commission has created a comprehensive plan of measures called the "Green Deal". European transport modes - and thus shipping, are also included in this plan. According to the Green Deal, transport-related emissions are to be reduced by 90 percent by 2050. European maritime transport causes about 13 percent of the total greenhouse gas emissions in the transport sector.
Through various measures initiated by the EU and the International Maritime Organization, the industry has already been working for years to reduce the resulting emissions. In order to further reduce CO2 emissions, the EU has decided to extend the European Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) to maritime transport in 2024. So far, this has been an instrument for air traffic in Europe.