The commitment to continental decarbonization has once again collided head-on with the structural vulnerabilities of island territories. Coalición Canaria (CC) Gran Canaria has welcomed the European Commission’s proposal to extend until 2035 the exemption from the Emissions Trading System (ETS) for air and maritime transport in the outermost regions (ORs). However, the nationalist party warned that the measure is insufficient and called for this tax relief to be made permanent to prevent the chronic rise in the cost of connectivity across the archipelago.
The technical debate becomes more complex when examining the impact on the islands’ port infrastructure. Beatriz Calzada (CC), president of the Las Palmas Port Authority, considers the European Commission’s decision a step forward, but insists that the text fails to capture the true strategic importance of the island’s docks. Calzada noted that facilities such as the Port of Las Palmas serve as international transit hubs between three continents, with operational dynamics that differ greatly from those of mainland ports.
Calzada recalled that the ports of the Canary Islands are international transit ports and play a strategic role on maritime routes between continents, a reality that sets them apart from mainland ports and should, in her view, be reflected in European regulations. She also said that, if it ultimately proves impossible to secure a permanent exemption for the outermost regions, the European Union must consider formulas that take into account the status of Canary Islands ports and their high level of transit activity, preventing them from losing competitiveness against nearby facilities not subject to the same obligations.
The port sector is warning of the risk of traffic diversion if definitive solutions are not put in place. If emissions penalties are strictly applied, major transatlantic shipping companies could reroute their transshipment operations to North African ports that are not subject to European environmental regulations. The European Union is therefore being urged to design a framework adapted to the islands’ status as a logistics hub, protecting the competitiveness of Canary Islands ports against competitors in third countries.
The negotiating progress follows coordinated efforts by the outermost regions, their respective member states and the regional government. Although the current moratorium protected the island territories until 2030, the five-year extension is intended to cushion the direct impact on mobility and freight transport. However, the Canary Islands’ political leadership believes that setting an expiry date for the mechanism leaves the archipelago under a constant threat of higher costs.
The president of the Canary Islands and secretary-general of CC, Fernando Clavijo, welcomed Brussels’ decision to address the demands of the outermost regions, while stressing that the ultimate goal remains a full exemption. Clavijo warned that strict application of the EU directive would dramatically increase the cost of air tickets and maritime freight on which grocery prices and supplies to the islands depend. The regional leader also regretted that the Commission had not included in its draft the request to extend protection to connections with any European Union country, rather than only to those with mainland Spain.
The decisive battle moves to the European Parliament
Following the first stage of the draft presented by the Commission, the political contest will now move into parliamentary proceedings and discussions in the Council of the European Union. For Coalición Canaria in Gran Canaria, this period is ideal for forcing a consensus that would definitively safeguard the OR status against the cost of the green transition. The political party reiterated that continental green regulations must be calibrated in accordance with the principle of cohesion and the geographical reality of peripheral territories. As the EU negotiations begin, the Canary Islands’ position will seek to build support in the European Parliament so that island transport is exempted, without an expiry date, from tax burdens that undermine equal opportunities for the people and businesses of the archipelago.
The article Calzada Calls on EU for Permanent ETS Exemption for Outermost Regions was first published on canarymaritime.com.
