MEPs on the European Parliament environment committee, outraged at the lack of ambition shown by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) on regulating a reduction in the sector’s CO2 emissions, called on Thursday 8 September for the EU to show firmness at the ICAO General Assembly which takes place from 27 September to 7 October.
Given the scale of the contribution from the international air transport sector to the goals of the Paris climate agreement, MEPs urge ICAO to take steps to set appropriate targets before the end of 2016. That is one of the demands of the draft resolution adopted on Thursday 8 September in preparation of the European Parliament position on COP 22 in Marrakesh (7-18 November). The 39th ICAO General Assembly is due to conclude a global agreement on a market mechanism to come into force in 2020. It was on that condition and in the hope of facilitating ICAO negotiations on a satisfactory agreement that the EU agreed in April 2014 to amend its legislation on the EU emissions trading scheme (Directive 2003/87/EC, known as the ETS directive) restricting its scope to only those flights landing in or taking off from the European Economic Area. The ETS exemption enjoyed by intercontinental flights under the “stop the clock regulation” ends on 31 December 2016 (see EUROPE 11061).
According to the draft text on the ICAO table, the proposed system – a global market-based measure (GMBM) based on a carbon emissions offsetting system between the aviation and other sectors – will only be fully operational by 2027.
“By 2027 there might be efforts. It’s a huge disappointment. What is on the table is not enough”, said Peter Liese (EPP, Germany), who was the rapporteur on the stop the clock regulation. Calling for the EU to insist on full application of the ETS directive if ICAO fails to adopt appropriate measures, he added: “We cannot be tough with steel making and let air transport off lightly. The EU representatives in Montreal must be very clear in what they say. It would be unthinkable to ask us thereafter to cast aside our legislation”. His comments were directed at Slovak Environment Minister and Environment Council President Laszlo Solymos, who attended the meeting to present the Presidency priorities to the committee. Bas Eickhout (Greens/EFA, Netherlands) reproached Solymos for “not even mentioning that meeting” and said: “This can’t be left to transport ministers!”
Solymos replied that the Slovak Presidency of the Council would “continue to work to agree a harmonised (EU) position”, “fight for a good result” and listen carefully to environment ministers and experts.
The draft ICAO text makes provision for emissions monitoring, reporting and verification (MRV) measures being applied by 2019 but the GMBM would only be phased in. Involvement would be voluntary in the pilot phase, from 2021 to 2023, and the initial phase, from 2024 to 2026. It would only be from the second phase, from 2027 to 2035, that participation by all countries would be compulsory (with the exceptions of exempted countries, such as the least developed nations, developing small island states and landlocked developing countries, though these all could become involved on a voluntary basis).
During the pilot phase, requirements on emissions offsetting would be calculated using nationally determined contributions (contributions to the Paris Agreement) by each participating state.
In a discussion with a European Commission representative on 1 September reporting back on the high-level ICAO meeting in Montreal in May, MEPs were dumbfounded at the scale of the concessions that the EU was prepared to make. In May, those MEPs who travelled to Montreal pointed out forcefully that, through its lack of ambition, ICAO could threaten the success of the Paris Accord (see EUROPE 11552). (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)