European Commission revives proposal to charge airlines for emission Vidya Ram

The Hindu Business Line , Tuesday, October 22, 2013
Correspondent :
London, Oct. 21:

The European Commission is standing by its plan to re-introduce aviation emission charges, in the face of warnings that the significant progress towards a global agreement earlier this month could be jeopardised.

“We are absolutely committed to reducing carbon emissions within the European airspace and this is why from now to 2020 we will continue to charge for emissions within EU air space,” Isaac Valero Ladron, spokesperson for EU Climate Change Commissioner Connie Hedegaard, told Business Line. He dismissed the accusation from aviation organisations that the decision went against the spirit of the landmark agreement reached by the UN’s International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) on October 4, to bring in a global market based mechanism to charge airlines for emissions by 2020. “We are responsible for emissions and want to take this step. We have to show the way.”

On Wednesday, Hedegaard unveiled plans to reintroduce the EU emissions trading system for airlines in 2014. The scheme had been suspended till the end of 2013, in anticipation of the ICAO negotiations this month. The proposed revamped scheme will only cover the part of flights that actually fall within European airspace, though as before will cover both European and international carriers, and will run until a global scheme is introduced. The Commission hopes that the proposals will pass through the European council and Parliament speedily to allow the new measures to come into force in the early part of 2014.

Aviation organisations have reacted with surprise and concern to the Commission’s proposals. Tony Tyler, Director General of the International Air Transport Association, warned that the plan could “undermine the goodwill that has brought us to this point.” It is understood that a specific reference to regional airspace was included in the ICAO discussions and rejected, making its inclusion in the European Commission proposal all the more controversial. Earlier this week the Association of Asian Pacific Airlines warned that the scheme was likely to meet “strong opposition” particularly from major developing countries”.

The ICAO agreement is the first international agreement on global aviation emissions. The European Commission has long argued that its scheme has been an impetus for action on the international level. “I’m positive that if it hadn’t been for the European Union’s pressure, hard work and determination we would not have got this result,” says Ladron. “We have had genuine engagement for the first time and aviation emissions are back on the top of the agenda.”

 
SOURCE : http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/industry-and-economy/logistics/european-commission-revives-proposal-to-charge-airlines-for-emission/article5258077.ece?ref=wl_industry-and-economy
 


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