Thursday

28th Mar 2024

EU and US to square up over air pollution

The EU is set to put itself on a collision course with the US later this month when it announces long-expected plans to include the aviation sector in its pollution-reducing scheme.

Washington is waiting to see if the European Commission includes the controversial idea of imposing the scheme on all flights using European airports, including American carriers, rather than just limiting the scheme to European domestic flights.

Read and decide

Join EUobserver today

Get the EU news that really matters

Instant access to all articles — and 20 years of archives. 14-day free trial.

... or subscribe as a group

Under the plans, to be revealed by environment commissioner Stavros Dimas on 20 December, there will be a cap on CO2 emissions meaning airlines would get a certain number of pollution allowances each year.

If they use up their allowances they would be obliged to buy carbon credits from other airlines – pushing the prices up for consumers who will in effect be directly paying for the damage flying does to the environment.

An impact study carried out by the commission suggested ticket costs could rise by up to €40 for long-haul flights.

The commission argues that if action is not taken now aviation emissions could be 150percent above levels in 1990 by 2012 – with the airline sector the fastest growing source of carbon dioxide emissions following the rise of cheap airlines offering rock-bottom ticket prices.

Legal battle?

But the US has indicated it is gearing up for a legal battle, fighting for an industry that has been feeling the pinch since the 11 September terrorist attacks in 2001 and most recently the alleged plot to blow up transatlantic flights from London.

"We think this will violate trade rules," James Connaughton, chairman of the White House Council on Environmental Quality, said last week, according to AP.

"It's also not a smart way to find your way to efficiency in the aviation (industry)," he said. "The aviation sector has already made dramatic progress in becoming more fuel efficient because they have to. It costs a lot of money to fly people around."

Washington believes a blanket move by the EU to cover all airlines using European airports would contravene the Chicago Convention on International Civil Aviation - the aviation sector's de-facto constitution.

But Jos Dings, director of the European Federation for Transport and Environment, believes it is a bluff.

Quadrupling the effect

"The US does not have a legal point," says Mr Dings, adding if the EU were to impose its measures only in Europe it would itself breach the convention which stipulates that measures must be applied to all countries equally.

On top of this, only including flights within Europe would mean 55-60 megatonnes of carbon would fall under the scheme, which is "not a lot", according to Mr Dings. Extending the scheme to all flights to and from Europe would almost quadruple the range to 250 megatonnes.

Mr Dimas has indicated the EU will stay tough on this issue. Speaking last week, he said the commission had looked into the legal implications and that it thinks its plans are "compatible" with the International Air Transport Association's rules.

He also said he did not think the US would be successful in stopping the EU from including aviation in the carbon emissions trading scheme.

Mandelson to dismiss French plan for 'carbon tax'

EU trade commissioner Peter Mandelson will on Monday speak out against a controversial French proposal on taxing trade with countries that refuse to ratify a post-Kyoto Protocol – an international agreement to limit climate change by lowering greenhouse gas emissions.

'Swiftly dial back' interest rates, ECB told

Italian central banker Piero Cipollone in his first monetary policy speech since joining the ECB's board in November, said that the bank should be ready to "swiftly dial back our restrictive monetary policy stance."

Opinion

EU Modernisation Fund: an open door for fossil gas in Romania

Among the largest sources of financing for energy transition of central and eastern European countries, the €60bn Modernisation Fund remains far from the public eye. And perhaps that's one reason it is often used for financing fossil gas projects.

Latest News

  1. Kenyan traders react angrily to proposed EU clothes ban
  2. Lawyer suing Frontex takes aim at 'antagonistic' judges
  3. Orban's Fidesz faces low-polling jitters ahead of EU election
  4. German bank freezes account of Jewish peace group
  5. EU Modernisation Fund: an open door for fossil gas in Romania
  6. 'Swiftly dial back' interest rates, ECB told
  7. Moscow's terror attack, security and Gaza
  8. Why UK-EU defence and security deal may be difficult

Stakeholders' Highlights

  1. Nordic Council of MinistersJoin the Nordic Food Systems Takeover at COP28
  2. Nordic Council of MinistersHow women and men are affected differently by climate policy
  3. Nordic Council of MinistersArtist Jessie Kleemann at Nordic pavilion during UN climate summit COP28
  4. Nordic Council of MinistersCOP28: Gathering Nordic and global experts to put food and health on the agenda
  5. Friedrich Naumann FoundationPoems of Liberty – Call for Submission “Human Rights in Inhume War”: 250€ honorary fee for selected poems
  6. World BankWorld Bank report: How to create a future where the rewards of technology benefit all levels of society?

Stakeholders' Highlights

  1. Georgia Ministry of Foreign AffairsThis autumn Europalia arts festival is all about GEORGIA!
  2. UNOPSFostering health system resilience in fragile and conflict-affected countries
  3. European Citizen's InitiativeThe European Commission launches the ‘ImagineEU’ competition for secondary school students in the EU.
  4. Nordic Council of MinistersThe Nordic Region is stepping up its efforts to reduce food waste
  5. UNOPSUNOPS begins works under EU-funded project to repair schools in Ukraine
  6. Georgia Ministry of Foreign AffairsGeorgia effectively prevents sanctions evasion against Russia – confirm EU, UK, USA

Join EUobserver

EU news that matters

Join us