The opposition against the European Union´s unilateral carbon emission scheme for international airlines is hardening. The US seems likely to join China in preventing its airlines to take part:
In December, the US lost an appeal before the EU Court of Justice against the application of the emission permit scheme to non-EU airlines.
In retaliation, the US Senate is considering a bill preventing US airlines from taking part in the EU scheme, which has already been approved by the House of Representatives. President Barack Obama could not stop it unless the EU gave something in return, White said.
China is also retaliating. On Monday its civil aviation authorities ordered its airlines not to pay for the EU permits. US, Chinese, Russian and Indian representatives are set to meet in Moscow on February 21 to mount a united front against the measure.
As we have said before, this is a fight the EU is going to lose. Unelected EU bureacrats, like Jos Delbeke, head of the European Commission's climate change department, are - as they usually are on most matters - seriously out of touch with reality:
But Delbeke stood firm. He noted that so far all foreign airlines have applied for the 85-per-cent quota of EU emission permits that are being handed out for free. Those which will refuse to pay for the remaining 15 per cent will be taken to court, he pledged.
Equally, countries taking retaliatory measures will be taken to the ICAO or even to, as a last resort, the World Trade Organization, Delbeke said.
'If there is retaliation we are going to react ... we are going to be damn serious,' he warned.
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