European Commission transport chief Jacques Barrot has signalled that the EC will press for US carriers to take part in an emissions trading scheme as part of negotiations for a second-stage agreement on open skies.
Talks on a second-phase deal on EU-US open skies will begin in May, shortly after existing restrictions on transatlantic flights between the EU and US are swept away at the end of this month under the first-stage agreement.
The second stage of negotiations will tackle the thorny issue of easing US rules on cabotage and foreign ownership and control of US carriers. EU member states retain the right to withdraw newly granted rights if a phase-two deal is not reached by 2010.
But further distance between the two sides has developed over the issue of tackling airline emissions and using airline passenger data as part of counter-terrorism efforts.
The issue of emissions has proved particularly divisive, as Europe adopted an isolated stance in tackling the issue by last year refusing to back down from plans to bring airlines into its emissions trading scheme around 2011/12.
The USA is among countries to have warned of a possible legal challenge should the EU, as it intends to, try to apply the scheme to non-EU carrier flights into Europe.
In an interview with the website of UK daily The Guardian, Barrot said he will make the environment a priority in negotiations. "The ideal would be to get the USA to join a common emissions trading scheme.
If not, we should at least get the USA to accept American airlines joining the system for flights into Europe," he tells the paper.
The European side is hopeful of progress in both the foreign ownership and emissions issues once a new US president takes office next year.
Barrot, meanwhile, who is temporarily overseeing EC justice chief Franco Frattini's responsibilities during the latter's return to Italy, also criticised the extent of US demands for passenger data for EU airline passengers overflying the USA.
"I don't see how we can accept this provision that does not seem necessary to us," he tells the paper. "Any demand placed by the USA has to be a proportionate response to existing security problems."
Source: FlightGlobal.com
