EU ETS and AVIATION

1

EU ETS and AVIATION Fasten your seatbelt, turbulent times ahead

1

Suzy Huber

CLEER Workshop: EU Environmental Norms and Third Countries: The EU as Global Role Model? TMC Asser Institute, The Hague19 April 2013

2

Content

1. Why and how did the EU include aviation

in ETS?2. A Stormy Reception: the International Response3. The EU Under Pressure: Stop the Clock!4. EU as global role model?

Climate Focus, 19 April 2013 EU ETS and Aviation, Suzy Huber

3

1. The path to include aviation in EU ETS

4

Steps to Aviation ETS


1997

1998

2001

2004 200

6

2007 200

82009

2012

2010

Commission proposal

Kyoto Protocol

ICAO Assembly

ICAO Assembly

ICAO Assembly: no new legal instrument

ICAO Assembly: opposition to ETS without “mutual agreement” (Reservation made by EU)

ICAO Assembly

EU Directive agreed upon

Implementation Start of first trading year

5

Reasons why the EU included aviation in ETSLack of action in ICAO EU emissions from international

flights are increasing fast - have doubled since 1990

No quick and easy technical solution (efficient aircrafts, improving air traffic management, fuel taxation)

ETS = cost effective


6

Emissions Trading Scheme (Cap and Trade)


7

How is aviation included in EU ETS?- Aviation cap has potential reduction of

29-46% below BAU by 2020Big environmental impact!

- 82% of the cap is distributed as free allowances

Modest impact on ticket price!- All aircraft operators that fly to and from

EU territory must monitor and report their emissions over the whole trajectory of the flight and surrender allowances every year to cover these emissions

Non-discriminatory!Climate Focus, 19 April 2013 EU ETS and Aviation, Suzy Huber

8

How is aviation included cont’d- Auction revenues for climate change

action in developing countriesCommon But Differentiated

Responsibilities! - Exemption if third country takes

equivalent measures There is a way out!


9 Climate Focus, 19 April 2013 EU ETS and Aviation, Suzy Huber

Source: openflights.org - Aviation ETS covers almost 60 per cent of

international aviation emissions.

Significance of the inclusion of aviation in EU ETS

10

2. A Stormy Reception: the International Response

11

ATAA legal challenge2010: Air Transport Association of America and others challenged the validity of the Directive- 3 main arguments were put forward:1. the EU went beyond its jurisdiction by taking into account the part of the flights outside EU airspace2. the EU does not have the mandate, should be based on mutual agreement through ICAO 3. EU ETS amounts to a tax or charge on fuel, which is prohibited by aviation treaties


12

European Court Ruling

The Court rejected all 3 arguments.- States may choose to apply

standards to activities that take place on their territory

- Environmental protection calls for measures that take extraterritorial events into account

- ICAO does not have exclusive mandate

- ETS is not a taxClimate Focus, 19 April 2013 EU ETS and Aviation, Suzy Huber

13

Increasing Political and Economic Pressure- China ‘blocks’ Hong Kong Airlines’ order of ten A380s

from Airbus, - Chinese aircraft carriers are forbidden from complying

with EU ETS- Russian Federation threatens to deny EU trans-

Siberia route, actually denies Finnair new landing rights- A bill is introduced in US Congress, that prohibits

American airlines from complying with EU ETS- Dec 2011: Strongly worded letter from US Secretary of

State Clinton and Transportation Secretary LaHood to EU Member States. “The EU is increasingly isolated on this issue”. Threaten to “respond appropriately”


14

Coalition of the Unwilling: strange bedfellows- “Coalition of the Unwilling”: United States,

China, Russian Federation, Brazil, India, Japan, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, and others

- Meetings in Sept 2011, February and July 2012- Declaration of Sept 2011 which condemned

the EU aviation ETS as illegal under int law, was later adopted by the ICAO Council.

- February 2011: drafted a suite of countermeasures, but no coordinated countermeasure could be agreed upon. Climate Focus, 19 April 2013 EU ETS and Aviation, Suzy Huber

15

3. The EU Under Pressure

16

STOP THE CLOCK PROPOSAL November 2012 Due to “encouraging results” achieved by the ICAO Council:• European Commission proposed to ‘suspend’

aviation ETS on all international flights for one year

• Allow for a global solution to be taken by ICAO Assembly in September 2013 (triennial meeting).

• Note: the scheme still applies to INTRA-European flights to all aircraft operatorsClimate Focus, 19 April 2013 EU ETS and Aviation, Suzy Huber

17

International reaction to ‘stop the clock’ - “China welcomes the EU’s decision … but does

not accept the practice of applying the system to foreign flights within Europe. China expects the EU to take a constructive attitude and work with other parties to settle differences properly.” (Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson)

- 2 weeks AFTER ‘stop the clock’ announcement, Obama signs the European Union Emissions Trading Scheme Prohibition Act


18

What will ‘stop the clock’ achieve? - Has ‘stop the clock’ had the

desired/intended effect? - Pressure on the ICAO process:

temporarily lifted? Or increased? - What can we expect from ICAO Assembly

in September? A global scheme certainly won’t go into effect by 2014.

- Even if agreement is reached within ICAO, how will the EU bridge the gap?

Climate Focus, April 19 2013 EU ETS and Aviation, Suzy Huber

19

4. EU as global role model?

20

Tension in international norms

Aviation ETS exposes the tension in international norms:- Environmental efficiency versus

sovereignty (fear of unilateralism)- Non-discrimination in civil aviation

versus Common but Differentiated Responsibilities and Respective Capabilities


21

EU’s high stakes experiment

Is unilateralism justified when multilateralism fails? Urgency But, danger of fragmentation Has the EU’s approach been effective? Progress in ICAO(?) Time is running out! Look out for ICAO

Assembly September 2013 Climate Focus, 19 April 2013 EU ETS and Aviation, Suzy Huber

22 Climate Focus, 19 April 2013 EU ETS and Aviation, Suzy Huber

23

Thank you

Suzy Huber – Legal CounselClimate [email protected]

Documents

EU ETS and AVIATION