Brussels, 02/11/2011 (Agence Europe) - On Wednesday 2 November, international protests against the European CO2 emissions trading scheme (ETS), which will be applicable to aviation from January 2012, crystallised. The International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) met in Montreal to decide on its reaction to the European initiative, which has already made waves. The United States are the most doggedly opposed to the measure, which is designed to fight the “dizzying growth of carbon emissions in aviation”, in the words of European Commissioner for Climate Action Connie Hedegaard. A vote in the lower chamber of the American Senate, which has no legislative power at this stage, recently favoured making the European measure illegal in the US (EUROPE 10483), whilst American airlines brought proceedings to the Court of Justice of the EU over a year ago to get the environmental legislation cancelled (EUROPE 10468). Since then, the criticism has gone global: further to an Indian initiative, 26 countries signed a declaration in New Delhi in September describing the European legislation as discriminatory and against international law. According to the NGO Transport&Environment, the American influence can be clearly identified in the wording of the declaration.
As we were going to press, therefore, the issue was being examined in council by the ICAO in Montreal. The organisation is to decide whether or not it supports the initiative, which is practised by 26 of its 36 members, and make recommendations on the subject. Canada and Australia have not signed the declaration. Of the 26 countries involved in the declaration, India and Brazil are responsible for 1% each of emissions and the US 10%, according to Transport&Environment.
If ICAO takes position in favour of this declaration, the situation could, in the worst case scenario, degenerate into a commercial war which will end up being brought before the World Trade Organisation, according to certain analysts. The EU does not seem prepared to go back on its position: if it were to do so, this would pave the way for the entire European environmental policy to be called into question. “If the European Commission opens the debate by stating its readiness to review the directive, there will be a chain reaction, endangering the whole emissions reduction strategy. We have little room for manoeuvre if we hope to keep our reduction targets”, European Transport Commissioner Siim Kallas told a worried Economic and Social Committee last week. However, the Union wants to see other global players follow its example, as Hedegaard recently insinuated in an open letter published by Reuters on 31 October: “Europe's legislation is a key contribution to global climate action. We encourage others to join in our efforts.” (MD/transl.fl)