A new report from ClientEarth reveals that limits on vessel weight and power under EU’s Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) prove no obstacle to switching the EU fishing fleet to energy-efficient and low-carbon propulsion technologies.
The European Commission must stick to its commitment to deliver a roadmap for the energy transition of the EU fisheries sector before the end of the year, said scientists, a former Member of the European Parliament, NGOs and artisanal fishers today, during a Brussels Ocean Week event Driving the energy transition and climate resilience in EU fisheries.
The energy transition in the fisheries sector is not just about reducing emissions and fighting climate change—it’s about ensuring the sector remains competitive on the global stage and stays resilient in the long-term.
Considering the overall amount of subsidies to the fishery sector and the interaction with the state aid control mechanism, we urge EU member states to work towards a consensus, under the Hungarian presidency, that abolishes tax exemptions for fossil fuels destined for fisheries use.
Without the elimination of fossil fuel subsidies from our economies, we will not be able to reach climate objectives under EU law or broader climate objectives under the Paris agreement, in order to ensure a decent future for the planet and humankind in the coming decades. Last December’s COP28 climate summit underlined the urgent need to transition away from fossil fuels and the phasing out of inefficient fossil fuel subsidies that do not address energy poverty or just transitions.
A truly ambitious revised ETD should have taxed the greener energies at a lower or at zero level, while taxing carbon rich energies at a higher rate.
Join us on April 16th for a short-sharp briefing ahead of the upcoming EU Energy Transition in Fisheries (April 19th). The briefing will explore challenges and opportunities that decarbonisation presents to the EU fishing sector, the process of stakeholder consultation in the framework of the energy transition and provide an overview of the diverse types of fisheries and their social, economic, environmental impacts, along with insights from the fishing sector itself on the skills needed to face decarbonisation.
“The question is, why do EU finance ministers under the lead of the Belgian Presidency seem unable to make the decision to move away from fossil fuel subsidies towards other types of tax benefits, or other subsidies that would incentivise the decarbonization process of the fisheries or maritime transport sectors, and would lead to a much-needed carbon-free EU economy?”
Without the elimination of fossil fuel subsidies from our economies, it will be impossible to reach the agreed climate targets at global level and ensure a decent future for the planet and humankind in the next decades. The recent COP28 climate summit recognised the need to transition away from fossil fuels, and the phasing out inefficient fossil fuel subsidies that do not address energy poverty or just transitions, as soon as possible.
We are in the midst of a climate crisis, with the effects of rising temperatures – due to climate change – now making themselves known everywhere. At the same time, we are facing a major biodiversity crisis, which hugely impacts the marine environment and the functioning of the ocean as a climate regulator. On top of these major crises, with the ongoing war in Ukraine, we also face an unprecedented energy challenge.
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