André Franqueira Rodrigues proposes amendments to European emissions legislation to protect essential transport connections and prevent additional costs for the Azores and other outermost regions.
Azorean Member of the European Parliament André Franqueira Rodrigues has proposed permanent exemptions from European Union carbon-emissions charges for air and maritime connections serving the EU’s outermost regions, warning that climate policies could increase transportation costs and place additional financial pressure on island economies.
The Socialist MEP submitted amendments to the revision of the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS) in the European Parliament’s Committee on the Environment, Climate and Food Safety. The proposals seek to reconcile European decarbonization objectives with the geographical and economic circumstances of the Azores, Madeira, and the Canary Islands.
“Decarbonization is a commitment we have undertaken. To achieve it, we need solutions adapted to each territory,” Franqueira Rodrigues stated. “In the Azores, airplanes and ships are indispensable. Making these connections more expensive has direct consequences for the cost of living and the islands’ economy.”
The transportation amendments, jointly supported by Sérgio Gonçalves of Madeira and Juan Fernando López Aguilar of the Canary Islands, call for permanent exemptions for flights between the EU’s outermost regions and airports throughout the European Economic Area, as well as maritime connections between these regions and ports in EU member states.
The parliamentarians also propose exempting emissions from container ships and passenger vessels while docked at ports in outermost regions without shore-side electrical connections. The measure is intended to prevent additional operating costs from discouraging shipping companies from serving island ports.
Another amendment would extend exemptions to the entire transportation route of cargo destined exclusively for outermost regions, including shipments involving intermediate stops.
Franqueira Rodrigues argues that these measures are necessary because island territories depend upon air and maritime transportation for passenger mobility, commercial supplies, tourism, and access to essential services. Unlike mainland regions, the Azores have limited alternatives to these connections, making increases in transportation costs particularly consequential for residents and businesses.
“A just transition must allow the islands to reduce emissions without compromising the connections upon which they depend,” the MEP said.
Franqueira Rodrigues also introduced separate amendments concerning waste incineration, proposing permanent exemptions for facilities in the outermost regions and a gradual inclusion of other facilities in the emissions trading system between 2036 and 2039.
According to the MEP, these measures would help preserve investment capacity for reducing landfill waste while allowing emissions-related revenues to support the sector’s decarbonization.
The proposals highlight an ongoing challenge for European climate policy: achieving common environmental objectives while accounting for the higher transportation costs and geographical isolation of island regions.
For the Azores, the outcome could have implications for the cost of imported goods, regional business competitiveness, tourism, and the affordability of travel between the islands and mainland Europe.
The amendments will now be debated in the European Parliament’s Committee on the Environment, Climate and Food Safety before proceeding to committee and plenary votes. Their adoption remains subject to the legislative process.
The initiative places the specific transportation needs of the Azores and other outermost regions within the wider European discussion over how to implement climate policies without imposing disproportionate economic burdens on geographically isolated communities.
Based on a story in Diário dos Açores, Paulo Viveiros-director. The photo is from DA.