The European Parliament’s environment committee has demanded considerable changes to the Commission’s proposals for how air transport will be dealt with in the carbon dioxide emissions trading scheme. Among other things, the environment committee is calling for a considerably larger part of the emissions rights to be auctioned.
”The industry’s interests are a spanner in the works in the struggle to reduce greenhouse gas emissions”, said Swedish GUE/NGL MEP Jens Holm. ”But today’s result is a clear improvement on the Commission’s proposals, although I believe that all emissions rights should go to auction. If they are distributed free of charge then there is no incentive for the industry to cut back.”
The committee requires that 50 percent of emissions rights will be auctioned off, while the rest be divided out gratis among the airlines. The Commission wants to auction less than 10 % of the rights.
Holm is responsible for the issue of air transport emissions rights for the GUE/NGL group in the European Parliament, and a member of the temporary climate change committee.
Parliament will vote on the issue in November. Then, the ministers in the council will adopt their position.
For more information, contact:
Jens Holm MEP: +32 498 598 053 or Swedish mobile 0768 470 328.