EU Commission freezes airline carbon emissions law

Reuters: The European Union will freeze for a year its rule that all airlines must pay for their carbon emissions for flights into and out of EU airports, the EU executive said, following threats of international retaliation.

Flights within the European Union will still have to pay for their carbon emissions. The year-long exemption will apply to flights linking EU airports to countries outside the bloc, a move welcomed by US and Asian officials.

Climate Commissioner Connie Hedegaard said she had agreed “to stop the clock” to create a positive atmosphere for international talks on an alternative global plan to tackle airline emissions. “But let me be very clear: if this exercise does not deliver – and I hope it does – then, needless to say, we are back to where we are today with the EU ETS (emissions trading scheme). Automatically.”

The United States, China and India have put intense pressure on the European Union. Debate in the US Congress is set to resume this week on legislation to counter the EU rules.

“While I am pleased the EU has temporarily suspended its efforts to unilaterally impose a tax on our airlines flying over US and international airspace, the EU’s announcement does not rule out future efforts to tax foreign carriers,” said Senator John Thune, who led efforts in the US Senate to block the law.

China likewise also opposed what it said was the EU’s unilateral move and prefers to work under mechanisms such as the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

“China always maintains that under the multilateral mechanism, such as the UNFCCC, international cooperation should be carried out to tackle climate change,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei told reporters in Beijing. “We should oppose unilateral measures.”

EU member states must still formally endorse the Commission’s proposed freeze. Hedegaard said she had told representatives of all 27 member states of the plan but could not say how long the EU approval process might take.