The Belgian delegation, which supports a fair and correct taxation of air transport, argued for a European VAT on airline tickets, or a kerosene tax, to help the EU fight climate change on Tuesday 5 March at the Environment Council, presenting a note to ministers on carbon pricing and aviation taxation (see EUROPE 12206).
Approached as ‘various points’ for a simple information point, the idea has progressed, but is far from being unanimously accepted. It was supported by 4 countries - led by the Netherlands, which are considering reintroducing a tax on airline tickets from 2021 and launched the debate at the Ecofin Council on 12 February (see EUROPE 12192). Support was also expressed by France, Luxembourg and Sweden. The Swedish Minister particularly pointed out that the Paris Climate Agreement provides for reductions in greenhouse gas emissions in all sectors, including aviation.
On Tuesday, Belgium requested that the Romanian Presidency organise a debate on this subject at the Environment Council on 26 June, but the Presidency simply replied that it had taken note of the Belgian’s showing.
The European Commission, for its part, has indicated that it agrees that the different modes of transport should be treated equally, which is not the case today given that there is a tax on rail transport. It concluded that several options are possible.
The question of a possible increased contribution from the aviation sector to the fight against climate change through carbon pricing and aviation taxation may be addressed in the context of the ETS review, said Environment Commissioner Karmenu Vella. This review could take place in the context of the EU's evaluation of the International Civil Aviation Organisation's (ICAO) CORSIA system, scheduled for no later than 2024, a Commission expert said.
One of the possible options is a European tax on airline tickets. However, during the preliminary discussions at the technical level, several countries considered that taxing travellers would not be a good idea, a source told EUROPE. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)