Public Consultation Feedback: EU Fuel Maritime Regulation – updating the list of “neighbouring container transhipment ports"

 The Malta Sociological Association (MSA) notes the proposed update to the list of neighbouring container transhipment ports under the FuelEU Maritime Regulation and supports measures that safeguard the environmental integrity of the Regulation while ensuring fair competition across the maritime sector.

The MSA recommends that the implementation of the Regulation should not create incentives for shipping operators to shift activities to neighbouring non-EU ports, primarily because of lower labour costs, weaker social protections, less stringent environmental standards, or more precarious regulatory frameworks. Such practices risk undermining both the objectives of the European Green Deal and the EU's commitment to a socially just transition.

Particular consideration should be given to small island states and peripheral EU regions, whose ports play a vital role in territorial cohesion, economic resilience, employment, and connectivity. These regions should not be placed at a competitive disadvantage through regulatory asymmetries that encourage the relocation of maritime activities to jurisdictions operating under substantially lower labour, social, or environmental standards.

The MSA further recommends that the implementation and future evaluation of the Regulation explicitly incorporate Social Impact Assessment (SIA) alongside environmental and economic considerations. This would enable policymakers to assess impacts on workers, port communities, regional development, and employment, while promoting socially sustainable and equitable maritime governance across the European Union.