Brussels, 17/04/2013 (Agence Europe) - On Tuesday, the European Parliament voted by a large majority to give its formal agreement “to stop the ETS clock” over a 12-month period for inter-continental flights (EU airlines and those from third countries) taking off from and landing in EU airports.
In Strasbourg on 16 April, MEPs formally approved this inter-institutional agreement, which will exempt companies from paying for 15% of their quotas. The agreement was made in an effort to pour oil on troubled waters with those critical of the EU's emissions trading scheme (ETS) in third countries and to help reach a substantial international agreement on CO2 emissions reduction in the aviation sector at the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) assembly in September.
Peter Liese (EPP, Germany), the rapporteur on this question was pleased and described this exemption as “a gesture of goodwill” not of weakness. He added: “We want a clear roadmap for an international agreement. We are realistic that it does not enter into force on January 1st 2014 but we want to have a framework for the meantime”. Satu Hassi (Greens, Finland), on the contrary, described this freeze on ETS implementation as “a step backwards”, which had been made under pressure from third countries. The system, Hassi argued, should have come into force on 1 January 2012 for all flights taking off from and landing in EU airports.
This backloading for inter-continental flights will only apply to 2012 emissions for which certificates should have been submitted before 30 April 2013.
Speaking on behalf of the ten low-cost airlines it represents, the ELFAA (European Low Fares Airline Association) deplored this derogation and said that “the exemption of more than 80% of EU aviation emissions of CO2 from inclusion in the EU ETS renders the inclusion of aviation totally ineffective environmentally, yet imposes an unfair burden on intra-EU operators and passengers”. Approval from the Council is now required so that the text amending the ETS directive can come into force before 30 April. (AN/transl.fl)