Malta’s Association of Tractor and Trailer Operators (ATTO) has sounded the alarm over the upcoming full implementation of the European Emission Trading System and fuel surcharge for shipping.
As of 1st January, shipping companies will be obliged to submit allowances for 100 per cent of their verified carbon dioxide emissions for all voyages involving EU ports, up from the current 70 per cent.
ATTO warned that the ETS and fuel surcharge on a single round-trip trailer on the Genoa-Malta-Genoa route will now amount to €734.40.
Based on 2025 statistics, which are expected to close with approximately 54,500 trailers operating on core RoRo Vessel routes from Genoa, Livorno, Salerno, and Catania, the cumulative impact should translate into an additional annual cost of approximately €16.5 million.
ATTO chairman Joseph Bugeja said that the EU is essentially punishing Malta for being an island, with no overland connection to mainland Europe, rather than supporting its economic sustainability.
He also warned that the higher shipping costs will inevitably be passed on to Malta’s consumers and industry.
“Malta does not have the option of overland transport,” he said.
“Unlike mainland states, our supply chains are entirely dependent on maritime connections. There is no alternative route to market. Every surcharge imposed on trailer movements is, in reality, a surcharge on the Maltese consumer, economy and competitiveness.”
He said that while Malta is a committed EU Member State and fully supports environmental objectives, policy implementation must reflect economic realities.
The application of ETS charges without island-specific mitigation measures will therefore undermine Malta’s competitiveness, fuel inflation, and place Maltese industry at a structural disadvantage within the Single Market.
“This is no longer a theoretical discussion. Without corrective measures, the result is going to be even higher consumer prices, more reduced competitiveness for local businesses and increased pressure on national supply chains,” Mr Bugeja added.
“For Maltese consumers and businesses, this situation is no longer sustainable and the crucial question that must be answered is: should Maltese consumers, as Europeans continue to be penalised for being citizens of an island state?”
