Moscow, Beijing warn EU on aviation effluent quotas

MOSCOW, September 27 (Itar-Tass) -- Moscow and Beijing are going to
persuade EU to take into consideration the interests of other countries on
the problem of including civil aviation in the European Union Emission
Trading Scheme (EU ETS). Such measures may hamper the development of civil
aviation and may bring about the working out of similar national measures,
says a joint statement of the Russian Ministry of Transport and the Civil
Aviation Agency of China, which was published on the site of the Russian
ministry on Tuesday.
The statement was made public by the parties at a meeting of the
working group for civil aviation, which is going on in the city of Sanjay,
China. The document says that Moscow and Beijing "oppose unilateral and
compulsory actions without reaching corresponding agreements between the
countries involved."
"The parties believe that the including of civil aviation in EU ETS is
at variance with principles of the Chicago convention, corresponding
resolutions of the Assembly of the International Civil Aviation
Organization (ICAO) and the sovereignty of countries, and may hamper the
development of international cooperation on climate changing and may bring
about other negative consequences for international civil aviation," the
statement said.
The Ministry of Transport stressed that Russia and China would act
jointly in the settlement of the problem of aviation effluents through
ICAO and in accordance with the U.N. Framework Convention. "The parties
will continue to jointly oppose the including of civil aviation in EU ETS,
specifically, through working out similar measures on the national level,"
the statement continued.
Russia and China have invited civil aviation agencies of other
countries, as well as international civil aviation organizations, which
share this view, to support the statement.
EU decided to include all air transporters making flights to Europe in
EU ETS, starting from 2012. The decision was criticized by civil aviation
organizations in many countries, because this could result in the payment
of big fines for the violation of the new rules.