Directive 2009/29 amending Directive 2003/87 so as to improve and extend the greenhouse gas emissions allowance trading scheme of the Community, stipulates that if the International Maritime Organization (IMO), an organization controlled by ship-owners, does not adopt internationally binding rules on CO2 emissions reduction for the shipping industry by 31 December 2011, the European Commission should submit a legislative proposal to the European Parliament and the Council so that the new act will enter into force by 2013.
However, no such "legislative proposal" has emerged:
On the contrary, during the course of 2012 the Commission not only did not submit any proposal as ought to do but last October, the Commissioner responsible for Transport (who is not charged with the climate change portfolio but is associated indirectly as the Members of the Commission responsible for Environment, Maritime Affairs, Entreprises etc) announced to the press in London that the Commission has abandoned its plans to make a proposal for the inclusion of the shipping industry in the community CO2 emissions reduction system. Thus substantially depriving the EU budget of a significant revenue of several billions of Euros every year.
Danish climate commissioner Connie Hedegaard and her Climate Action would have been the people primarily responsible for making the proposal for inclusion of the shipping industry. The New Europe Online thinks that "the Commission services in matters of maritime policy are particularly compassionate to ship-owners".
New Europe Online bemoans Hedegaard's and her colleagues' lack of action. On the contrary, the failure to act should be praised. The less ETS, the better. However, it is interesting to note that the article is illustrated with a picture of one of Danish Maersk line's huge containers ships. Mrs. Hedegaard's silence is no mere coincidence.
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