AAPA Welcomes Suspension of EU ETS; Focus Shifts to ICAO

The Association of Asia Pacific Airlines (AAPA) has given a cautious welcome in response to the announcement by the European Commissioner for Climate Action suspending the inclusion of international aviation in the European Union Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS).

The fact that the EU was prepared to make some concessions over the EU ETS was first signaled in remarks made during a panel discussion at the AAPA Assembly of Presidents meeting held here in Kuala Lumpur on 9 November 2012.

“In making this long overdue move the EU has finally bowed to the inevitable, in effect acknowledging that it cannot unilaterally impose the scheme on non-EU airlines without the consent of other governments,” said AAPA Director General, Mr. Andrew Herdman. “Temporarily suspending the scheme is obviously a positive gesture by the EU, but may not go far enough. The implied threat of an automatic snapback in a year’s time means that the EU will still be seen by some as negotiating with a gun on the table.”

AAPA has consistently argued that a global industry needs a coherent global policy framework on aviation emissions, with all parties now properly focused on ICAO as the right forum to reach such an agreement.

Mr. Herdman said, “The alternative would be disastrous - a patchwork of overlapping national schemes and punitive taxes. However, we must recognize that, in line with the wider debate on climate policy, this is an inherently political process, and one in which the diverse interests of countries large and small, rich and poor, need to be reconciled. The announcement by the ICAO Council of the establishment of a High-level group is a positive step towards addressing, and hopefully resolving, these difficult issues.”

AAPA says it will continue to work proactively, together with other stakeholders, in encouraging the development of sensible proposals for consideration by the ICAO Assembly in September 2013.

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