Brussels, 01/03/2012 (Agence Europe) - MEPs on the environment committee are virtually all behind in the European Commission, urging it to fight tooth and nail to protect the EU law which includes civil aviation in the emissions quotas trading scheme (ETS directive), no matter what the 29 ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organisation) countries and the 23 signatories of the Moscow declaration (see EUROPE 10564) might say. This support was reiterated on Thursday 1 March to Mary Veronica Tovsak, Director of DG Climate at the Commission, who attended the committee meeting to tell its members that the Commission had every intention of making sure everyone complies with the ETS, “which provides leverage for a constructive debate in ICAO because that is where decisions are made” on an overall approach to air transport emissions reductions.
“The legislation has to be complied with. Is EU legislation not to be taken just as seriously as United States or Indian legislation?” asked rapporteur Peter Liese (EPP, Germany). For committee chairman Matthias Groote (S&D, Germany), the unwillingness of third countries to comply with the legislation provides a test of credibility. “We will be judged on our ability to stand by our position. ICAO has been talking for 20 years, but nothing has been put in place. The ETS is not discriminatory. Climate change has to be taken seriously”, he argued. Bas Eickhout (Greens/EFA, Netherlands) hammered the point home: these third countries “are testing out the European law maker”. Jo Leinen (S&D, Germany) said that “the ETS directive does not affect the air space of third countries, whereas the threat by Moscow to stop aircraft flying over Siberia on their way to Asia is a different matter. We mustn't give in to threats!” Chris Davis (ALDE, UK), firmly persuaded of the legality of the European legislation, stated that there will be no turning back. Only Holger Krahmer (ALDE, Germany) and Jacqueline Foster (ECR, UK), who sits on the transport committee, expressed fears of a trade war. The former, wary of a political conflict developing with the risk of economic damage, called for the ETS directive to be shelved. (AN/transl.rt)