MEPs reject watered-down airline emission targets

German EPP-ED Rapporteur Peter Liese said the report would ensure that the aviation sector makes a more substantial contribution to combating climate change. "Especially the most polluting airlines will have to pay," he said, highlighting the fact that the cost for consumers would not be so high: "A return flight from Frankfurt to Mallorca will on average increase by €6." 

He defended earmarking, saying: "We want citizens who behave in a climate-friendly way to be rewarded. This is why we need clear earmarking. The revenues generated through emissions trading should not disappear into the general budget, but should be used to mitigate climate change. We believe the revenues should be used for research on clean aircraft, but also to lower taxes and charges on environmentally-friendly transport such as trains and buses." He predicted that this would be "one of the sticking points in the negotiations with member states." 

UK Green MEP Caroline Lucas welcomed the "strong result", saying: "It is vital that MEPs stick to their guns on this crucial piece of legislation – a forerunner for the full Emissions Trading Scheme Review – since the Council was shamefully keen to water down the Commission's already weak proposal." 

She welcomed the fact that MEPs insisted on limiting the number of permits airlines can buy up from other industries, saying: "This is the only way we can truly ensure that the aviation sector itself begins to reduce its emissions, rather than pay its way out of the problem." 

She further welcomed the decision to gradually reduce the provision of allowances to airlines in line with the reduction expected for other sectors, saying that the Council's attempts to keep aircraft operators' initial allocation at the same level for all subsequent trading periods were "frankly outrageous". 

Socialist MEP Matthias Groote, who is shadow rapporteur on the report, welcomed the inclusion of business jets in the ETS. "In the first reading a conservative majority granted a special status to business planes and exempted them from the emissions trading scheme. Today's vote has reversed that. It is not acceptable that tourists will soon pay €9 extra due to emissions trading while managers with their business jets are still allowed to be climate offenders." 

But the International Air Carrier Association (IACA) condemned the "extremism" of the Environment Committee's vote, saying the combination of 100% auctioning from 2013, a multiplier and a de facto closed trading system would create a "destructive package for airlines". 

"This industry is simply not a state to cope with the huge additional costs that 100% auctioning would bring," said IACA President Christoph Mueller, saying such a scheme would generate €15 billion per year in additional costs for airline operators. 

"The current economic downturn and record fuel costs are already hitting the industry hard and we are seeing the impact of these on a daily basis. Any further pressure on costs would have serious consequences for the sector, as well as for the wider European economy, tourism and regional connectivity," he stressed, calling for a "reasonable", "manageable and affordable system" that takes account of these economic realities. 

The European Low Fares Airline Association (ELFAA)  agreed that a system which "punishes airlines" rather than incentivising them is "wrong" as it would effectively make it harder for aviation to achieve its environmental goals by depriving airlines of the financial means to invest in new planes. 

"There is a huge risk that the legislation will impose unnecessary costs that do nothing to achieve its environmental objectives," cautioned ELFAA Secretary General John Hanlon. 

"What makes this entire process so deeply frustrating and concerning is that the Environment Committee has supported these measures without any robust assessment of their future impact on intra-European air services and employment," added Mike Ambrose, director general of the European Regions Airline Association (ERA). 

Green NGO Friends of the Earth's Transport Campaigner Richard Dyer said he was "delighted" with the vote. In particular, the group pointed to "substantial improvements" on the Council's proposals, including plans to take the non-CO2 climate impact of aviation into account; the "quite high level of auctioning"; the possibility of introducing other measures like taxes, and; the requirement that airlines meet certain efficiency standards before being able to buy carbon permits from other sectors or projects in developing countries.