The president of the Port Authority of Bahía de Algeciras (APBA) and vice president of the European Ports Association (ESPO), Gerardo Landaluce, called for a constructive dialogue last Friday in Brussels among all sector stakeholders to correct the adverse effects of the European emissions trading system (EU-ETS) on the competitiveness of the European port system. The appeal took place during the presentation of the first results of the State Ports Observatory, held in the European capital and organized by ESPO.
The event was inaugurated by the president of State Ports, Gustavo Santana, and featured a detailed presentation of the main indicators by Manuel Arana, Director of Planning and Development of State Ports. Landaluce concluded the meeting with a statement emphasizing that, with the appropriate adjustments to current regulations, "we can seize this opportunity for climate objectives to be met without undermining the competitiveness of European ports."
The data presented in Brussels confirms what the Port Authority of Algeciras has been warning since 2020: the implementation of the maritime ETS is generating a diversion of traffic and investments towards ports in third countries not subject to this regulation. According to the Observatory's figures, in the coming years, up to 7.4 billion euros in new projects could be relocated to competing ports located outside the European Union, which would translate into an estimated increase of 60% in their operational capacity, to the direct detriment of European facilities.
In his closing remarks, Landaluce insisted that investment in port infrastructure is irreversible: "Once made in a port, it lasts for fifty years or more, and it does not come back; on the contrary, it competes with our ports." Unlike traffic, which in certain cases can be redirected between European ports within the internal market, lost investment cannot be recovered once it has materialized in third countries.
The president of the APBA also framed the debate in the current geopolitical and geoeconomic context, substantially different from that which existed when the maritime ETS was designed five years ago. Increasing global competition, tensions in logistical chains, and the need to preserve the resilience of the European industrial fabric demand, in his view, a vision adapted to present reality. In this regard, Landaluce argued that Europe needs "strong, connected, and competitive ports as pillars of its strategic autonomy and industrial policy."
From ESPO, the organization that groups European port authorities, this concern is shared, and a reform of the current functioning of the maritime ETS is deemed necessary. The year 2026 is seen, according to Landaluce, as the ideal moment to introduce improvements in the context of the planned review of the European directive. "We have an opportunity to introduce improvements," he noted, calling for collaborative work and rigorous technical dialogue between European institutions and the port sector.
The new emissions trading regime came into effect on January 1, 2024, although the Port of Algeciras already warned in 2020 of the dysfunctions it could generate: diversions of ships and traffic towards third country ports near the EU, with the subsequent escape of CO2 emissions outside the European space, an effect contrary to the spirit of the regulation itself.