Danske Rederier (Danish Shipping) says that the new European standard method of calculating GHG emissions is good news for the country’s shipping companies, as a level playing field will ensure comparable claims about reduced emissions.
An agreement reached by the Council and the European Parliament on the CountEmissionsEU proposal will introduce a common method for calculating GHG emissions, based on a global standard, both for freight and passenger transport services.
Thomas Danielsen, Danish Minister of Transport, said:” Thanks to this agreement, citizens and businesses will have a clearer view on the greenhouse gas emissions emitted by the transport services they use. This will also benefit transport operators, as they now will be able to account for their emissions based on this single, globally harmonised standard.”
This means that if for example a shipping company wishes to highlight its efforts to reduce GHG emissions it will be required to use the new standard methodology.
Anne H Steffensen, CEO of Dansk Redereir, said: “I wish to thank the Danish EU Presidency for prioritising this important agreement and delivering a great result. It’s crucial that we get the facts straight, when we talk about GHG emissions. This agreement will make it much harder to get away with ‘green washing’ in the transport sector. A level playing field in this area will be to the advantage of the many progressive Danish shipping companies that are at the forefront of the green transition.” The European Council statement reads: “Today, many transport services measure their GHG emissions, but they are often requested to use different methods. Therefore, the accounting of GHG emissions can be a complex task for transport operators. For consumers, it can be hard to know which service is truly greener.”
The provisional agreement will now need to be endorsed by the member states’ representatives within the Council (Coreper) and by the European Parliament.
Image source: Guillaume Perigois on Unsplash
