India, 25 countries oppose EU plan on emission trading

New Delhi, Sep 30 (PTI) India and 25 other countries
including the US, China, Russia and Brazil, have opposed the
European Union's plan to include aviation under its emission
trading scheme and impose emission charges on airlines flying
into the region starting next year.
After a two-day meeting here, the non-EU ICAO members
adopted a joint declaration in which they termed as
"unilateral" the imposition of EU Emissions Trading Scheme
(EU-ETS), saying it was "inconsistent with applicable
international law".
Vowing to oppose the imposition of the ETS tax on their
airlines flying to EU, Indian Civil Aviation Secretary Nasim
Zaidi said, "The members asked the EU and its member states to
refrain from including flights by non-EU carriers to and from
an airport in the EU in its emission trading system."
The recent measure by the 27-nation bloc to impose carbon
curbs on flights to and from the region have sparked protests
by the non-EU members.
The EU move, which would become effective from 2012,
would lead to a hike in air fares on these flights as the
airlines, which would be paying the ETS charges, would onpass
them to their customers.
The declaration, adopted at the meeting here, asked the
EU member states to work collaboratively with rest of the
international community to address aviation emissions.
The non-EU countries expressed concerns about EU-ETS
measures violating the Chicago Convention governing
international aviation and also provisions of the WTO.
The EU-ETS, also known as the European Union Emissions
Trading System, is the largest multi-national emissions
trading scheme in the world.
he joint declaration also said that the aviation
emissions should be addressed by ICAO.
Under the EU-ETS, large emitters of carbon dioxide,
including airlines, within the EU must monitor and annually
report their carbon dioxide emissions.
They are obliged every year to return an amount of
emission allowances to the government that is equivalent to
their carbon dioxide emissions in that year.
Earlier, Indian Civil Aviation Minister Vayalar Ravi had
opposed the EU's plan in an interview saying, "How can they
dictate terms to us and why should we accept it? This is their
fantasy."
The International Air Transport Association has also
called the EU's plan in contravention of the international law
and "an attack on sovereignty."
The EU had decided in 2008 that aviation should become a
part of its cap-and-trade carbon program after airline
discharges in Europe doubled over two decades.
Emissions from international aviation now account for 2-3
per cent of global greenhouse gas discharges, according to the
EU.