Fit-for-55: Fit for industry?
market ramp-up of sustainable alternative fuels and the construction of bunkering facilities and onshore power connections in ports, is very positive. ▪
Securing infrastructure development in ports: The expansion of the infrastructure, especially with regard to onshore electricity supply in ports, must be guaranteed and eligible for funding. This is because the electricity/energy supply must also be able to cover the demand in the ports. For this the ETD and respectively AFIR draft are important flanking measures to ensure that the obligations of the initiative can be met.
Elements of the proposal that the BDI recommends improving: ▪
Maintaining a level playing field in international shipping: It remains questionable whether the extension of the scope of application with regard to the energy use of vessels between EU member states and third countries can be implemented at 50 percent on an international level and whether that way a level playing field can be guaranteed.
▪
Establishing "book & claim" framework for sustainable marine fuels: An important step to increase the use of sustainable fuel (SMF or SAF) is to create a new framework where suppliers, carriers, and forwarders can invest in sustainable fuels, if the emission reduction can be accounted for in their carbon footprint. This can be realized, for example, through certificate trading for climate-friendly fuels similar to green electricity certificates. In this way, fuels could also be booked everywhere in the world through a book & claim system in order to avoid complex fuel transports and to set broad market impulses.
14. Conclusions A strong and innovative industry is a prerequisite for Europe to win the global race in climate innovation and digitalisation with its own technologies and concepts on an equal footing with the United States and China. The European Commission, Parliament and Council should clearly commit to Europe as an attractive and forward looking industrial and investment location: Industry needs to be equipped with the necessary “Fit-for-55” framework to be able to successfully navigate through this transition of unprecedented scale. In some areas, the Fit-for-55 package sets important impulses for the transition. In others and certainly considering the many interlinkages with pending policy initiatives and measures beyond the package, more will be needed to reliably support European industry in the transition and thereby demonstrate that a climate neutral industrialised continent is feasible:
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