The Regional Council of Calabria has unanimously approved a motion requesting a derogation from the European Union’s ETS Directive on the climate «Fit for 55» which risks causing the downsizing, if not outright closure, of many transshipment ports in Europe, led by that of Gioia Tauro.
The approved motion is the result of an agreement between the majority and the minority, who had presented two different proposals and then decided to merge them into a single measure. «Together – said the president of the Regional Council, Filippo Mancuso – we joined the demonstration in Gioia Tauro on 17 October and together we unanimously approve a motion whose express intent is to help stop the wicked European directive ‘Fit for 55’.
This is one of those crucial moments in which there is a need for political, social and entrepreneurial forces, in concert with the most representative instances of civil society, to combine energy and commitment, to avoid the worst and allow the main port infrastructure of Calabria , one of the most productive in Europe, to continue along the path that has made it an excellence in Southern Italy and in Italy.” «We are comforted to learn – added Mancuso – that the meeting of the European Union Environment Ministers has started, as reported by the Minister Gilberto Pichettoa discussion to adopt initiatives aimed at mitigating the negative effects of the Directive.
Italy is at the forefront in the fight against climate change and in favor of European policies to reduce polluting emissions. But the current European rules regarding the application of the ETS mechanism to the maritime sector would lead to a certain loss of competitiveness of many European ports, and in particular the Italian ones, for cargo traffic on containers with transhipment, with consequent risk for the entire logistics system European”.