EU ETS revision receives partial approval from Italy's ALIS

The European Commission presented a revision of the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS) aimed at keeping the ETS at the core of maritime decarbonisation policies. ALIS vice‑president Marcello Di Caterina welcomed several elements that align with the association’s long‑standing proposals, including the creation of the Sustainable Maritime Alternative Propulsion (SMAP) fund, stronger measures against carbon‑pricing evasion, and the commitment to avoid double taxation with the future IMO carbon‑pricing regime.

Nevertheless, ALIS argued that the proposal does not go far enough. It maintains existing route‑specific exemptions but stops short of granting a general exemption for territorial continuity connections to islands—a key demand of the Italian maritime sector. Additionally, the text lacks an automatic, legally binding mechanism to prevent a modal back‑shift, i.e., the transfer of cargo traffic from sea back to road. ALIS therefore views the revision as a positive step but calls for further safeguards to protect Italy’s maritime logistics system.