Following the inclusion of the maritime sector in the European Union's Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) as part of the maritime transport decarbonization process, the European Sea Ports Organisation (ESPO) has repeatedly warned about the significant risk of evasion of the maritime ETS. This situation poses a threat to the credibility and robustness of the system applied to maritime transport and could compromise the future and competitiveness of certain EU ports.
With the aim of monitoring possible evasive behaviors, Port Authorities has developed the EU ETS Observatory, a tool based on the analysis of currently available data. The first results of this observatory will be presented in a specific session organized by the ESPO on February 20, 2026, between 9:00 AM and 12:00 PM, at the University Foundation of Brussels (rue d’Egmont 11) and also in an online format.
The event will begin with the inaugural speech by Gustavo Santana, president of Port Authorities. Next, Manuel Arana, director of Planning and Development of Port Authorities, will present the main conclusions of the Observatory. The methodological development of the study will be explained by Shipping Business Consultant (SBC) in collaboration with the Transport Innovation Center (CENIT).
The program will also include the reaction of the European Commission, led by Polona Gregorin, head of the Mobility Unit of the Directorate General for Climate Action (DG CLIMA), followed by a Q&A session and discussion with the audience. The session will conclude with a networking space.
The study highlights a significant and unusual increase in maritime activity in non-EU ports located near Europe, as well as its possible implications for the competitiveness of EU ports and the associated risks of carbon leakage. Therefore, these results are particularly relevant in the context of evaluating the current EU ETS framework applied to maritime transport, in line with the legislative file review planned for 2026.