Climb-Down in Climate Protection? : EU Facing a Far-Reaching Decision in Aviation Policy

The EU law according to which, beginning in 2012, emissions from international air traffic were included fully in the ETS was suspended for one year. Subsequently an amendment was proposed to the effect that emission permits should only be required for emissions related to Europe's "own airspace".

Now the EU is facing a far-reaching decision concerning its climate policy: On 2 February 2014, the European Parliament will vote on whether emissions from the EU's international air traffic should no longer be covered by the European emissions trading scheme (EU ETS). In a paper published by Friedrich Ebert Stiftung (FES), Hans-Jochen Luhmann, Senior Expert of the Wuppertal Institute, deals with the reasons for and possible effects of such a decision.

The paper is titled "Climb-Down in Climate Protection?"; it is free for download at the FES-website.