Breaking! EU Stops the Clock for ETS

Neelam Mathews

Nov 13, 2012

As Aerospace Diary had reported from the AAPA conference in KL last week that “something surprising” was to be announced by the EU on ETS, it has happened.

It has been decided to suspend the EU-ETS missions Trading System (ETS) for flights into and out of Europe for a period of one year to allow time for ICAO to finalize a global scheme.
"The Commission’s pragmatic decision clearly recognizes the progress that has been made towards a global solution for managing aviation’s carbon emissions by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO),” said Tony Tyler, IATA’s Director General and CEO.

EU Commissioner for Climate Action Connie Hedegaard said: "The EU has always been very clear: nobody wants an international framework tackling CO2-emissions from aviation more than we do. Our EU legislation is not standing in the way of this. On the contrary, our regulatory scheme was adopted after having waited many years for ICAO to progress. Now it seems that because of some countries' dislike of our scheme many countries are prepared to move in ICAO, and even to move towards a Market Based Mechanism (MBM) at global level.

“In order create a positive atmosphere around these negotiations, I've just recommended in a telephone conference with the 27 Member States that the EU "stops the clock" when it comes to enforcement of the inclusion of aviation in the EU ETS to and from non-European countries until after the ICAO General Assembly next autumn.

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. Automatically” said Hedegaard.

The EU's Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS) was established in 2003. Initially the EU ETS included only land based industrial installations. From 1 January 2012 aviation activities of aircraft operators that operate flights arriving at and departing from Community aerodromes were also to be included in the scheme for greenhouse gas emission allowance trading within the Community. The legislation covers 30 States including the 27 EU Member States and Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein.

Press conference- This video is avialable only for 6 more days-