Members of the European Parliament have sought to bolster the European Commission's plan to include aviation in the European Union emissions trading scheme.
Adopting a first-reading report last week, the European Parliament voted to reduce the amount of authorised CO2 emissions for aviation to 90% of airlines' average annual emissions during 2004-6, rather than the EC's originally proposed cap of 100%.
MEPs also backed more ambitious emission targets depending on the post-2012 target reductions in overall CO2 emissions Europe sets itself. The EC proposed no concrete values for the number of permits to be auctioned, although MEPs decided on an initial 25%, with revenues earmarked for research, support for alternative transport modes and to help the EU and third countries manage climate change impacts.
MEPs disagreed, however, with the EC that the scheme initially covers intra-EU flights from 2011, before extending to all flights from EU airports from 2012, voting that all are covered by 2011.
The Council of Environmental Ministers, as joint legislator with Parliament in a co-decision process, will now decide its position on these amendments. If the council rejects any amendment or adds its own, the text will return to Parliament for a second reading.
"This vote reflects political compromises more than it does the reality of the environmental challenge and aviation's real contribution to the issue, not to mention the fact that it is not based on any kind of impact assessment," said Ulrich Schulte-Strathaus of the Association of European Airlines. "This vote is only one step in the legislative process, and airlines are now pinning their hopes on council, which is due to meet on 20 December."
Source: Flight International
