Brussels, 02/07/2008 (Agence Europe) - The informal compromise by the EP, the EU Council of Ministers and the European Commission on the draft directive to include civil aviation in the EU's greenhouse gas emissions quota trading system (ETS) (see EUROPE 9692) is giving rise to much grumbling both among environmental NGOs and airlines. A few days ahead of the European Parliament's vote on the issue in second reading in Strasbourg on 9 July, rapporteur Peter Liese (EPP-ED, Germany) welcomed the fact that the compromise deal he has been arguing for already has the backing of the EPP-ED Group and therefore stands an excellent chance of being formally adopted.
In a press release, Peter Liese says that the compromise ends three years of debate. In the future, airlines will have to cut emissions or buy pollution permits from other industries. The draft directive is an important step towards a global solution to the rapid growth in greenhouse gas emissions from transport, he added.
The NGO Transport and Environment (T&E) disagrees. Unhappy about concessions made by the EP on the date when civil aviation is to be included in the ETS (2012 rather than 2011) and the increasing of the proportion of quotas that will be auctioned, it believes that governments are to blame for failing to give the EU a law that is capable of really cutting emissions. Rather than a historic emissions reduction deal in international aviation, T&E describes it as a “historic lost opportunity”.
The International Air Carrier Association (IACA) fears a punitive ETS that will kill off airlines, adding that any new financial pressure on the industry could well lead to more bankruptcies and prevent airlines from investing in new technology and more efficient aircraft. The IACA urges the European Parliament to vote for a system reflecting the current economic climate that would allow airlines to continue providing European
with mobility. (A.N./transl.fl)