EuropeanShipowners| ECSAand Airlines 4 Europe (A4E)callon the European Commission toscale up our sectors’decarbonisationby using the EU and national ETS revenues ininvestmentsto make sustainable fuels and technologies available for shipping and aviation.
Shipping and aviationalreadycontributeover€11 billionto the EU ETS revenues annually. As a priority, this money must be channelled into derisking investment in sustainable fuels that are today on average 4 times more expensive for shipping and3-6 timesmore expensive for aviationthanconventional fuels. Bridging the price gap between sustainable and conventional fuels is key toincreasing theiravailabilityon the market.The European Commission should require EU Member States to earmark at least part of their ETS revenues for the uptake and availability of sustainable fuels for shipping and aviation, and to incentivise them to top up any existing EU mechanisms with national ETS revenues.
“Europeanshipownersare leading global investmentsin sustainable fuel-powered vessels, with 44% of the global orderbook, but Europe’s fuel availability is not keeping pace.Asia leads with 74% of fuel production projects, while Europe accounts for just 10%.Less than 5%of European sustainable fuel production is currently intended for maritime use,” said Sotiris Raptis, Secretary General of European Shipowners | ECSA. “Shipping contributes around €9 billion to the EU ETS. This money should be used at EU and national level to bridge the price gap and support sustainable fuel availability and clean tech projects. This is key for the energy transition of the sector and for the energy security of the continent,” he added.
“European airlines contributed €2.3 billion to EU ETS in 2024 alone – a figure set to exceed €5 billion annually by 2030. Yet the revenues are not being recycled back into the fuels and technologies airlines need to decarbonise,” stated Ourania Georgoutsakou, Managing Director of Airlines for Europe (A4E). “The 20 million SAF allowances on the table fall short of what 2030 will demand, and without clarity on post-2030 availability, the investment case simply does not stack up. Airlines – and ultimately passengers – are paying into a system that is not working for them – or for the climate. InvestingETSrevenuesin fuel availability and offtakes is essential for decarbonising shipping andaviationandEurope’s energy security,” she added.
