Isra-Mart srl: EU will not change aviation legislation

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The EU will not change law obliging airlines flying to Europe to join its emissions trading scheme, says EC President Jose Manuel Barroso.

The European Union is not considering changing its law obliging airlines flying to Europe to join its emissions trading scheme, European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said today.

'The inclusion of aviation in the ETS is not a proposal, it is now European law. It was approved unanimously by the member states of the European Union, and it was adopted ... with a very strong backing by the European Parliament. So we are not thinking at all about the possibility of changing our legislation,' Mr Barroso told a news conference.

From 1 Jan next year, the EU will require all airlines flying to Europe to be included in the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS), a system that forces polluters to buy permits for each tonne of carbon dioxide they emit above a certain cap.

China is spearheading opposition to the plan, saying it will cost Chinese airlines 800 million yuan ($123m) in the first year and more than triple that by 2020.