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ERA WELCOMES “SENSIBLE” VOTE ON EMISSIONS TRADING
17/12/2008
The European Regions Airline Association (ERA) welcomes today’s vote by the European Parliament to omit aviation from the revised Emissions Trading ‘Mother’ Directive. It demonstrates a victory of common sense over environmental extremism. Today’s vote ensures that the European Parliament’s legislation, agreed only a few weeks ago, that brings aviation into the existing Emissions Trading Scheme from 2012 remains unaltered.
ERA Director General, Mike Ambrose said: “European air transport does support protection of the environment and is investing accordingly but there is a minority of environmental extremists who wish to see aviation punished at any cost to European jobs, regional communities and international competitiveness.”
“While it might make sense to review the Mother Directive for those industries which have been involved in Emissions Trading for some time, aviation does not begin to participate in the scheme until 2012. To propose changes to a law that was only agreed in July this year, that was decided only after extensive debate and which has not yet been enforced, is nonsensical. Thankfully, the majority of Parliament has adopted a more rational approach that still provides environmental protection.”
The decision to include aviation in the EU Emissions Trading Scheme was agreed in July 2008, and will add an estimated cost burden of €245 million per year to ERA airlines when it comes into effect in 2012. Proposed amendments to the ‘Mother’ Directive on Emissions Trading regarding aviation, if agreed, would have added an additional cost burden of €555 million per year to ERA airlines, making a total of €800 million per year of additional costs.1
ERA Campaign for Better Regulation
Failure to conduct impact assessments at each stage of the regulatory process is one of the key elements of ERA’s ‘Step-by-Step Guide to Better Regulation. To find out more about the ERA Campaign for Better Regulation, please visit: www.eraa.org/fly-europe/Better_Regulation.php
ENDS
1 ERA airline members are estimated as representing 7% of total European airlines (according to passenger numbers).
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