Russia threatens to cap EU flights

Part of retaliatory measures against EUETS agreed by 20 countries

Russia has threatened to cap European Union airline flights over Siberia as part of possible retaliatory measures approved by more than 20 countries.

Valery Okulov, Russia’s deputy transport minister, said each country could choose whatever measure it wanted, in line with its own laws, to try to stop the EU including airlines in its emissions trading system from the start of 2012.

He said Russia would look at limiting EU airlines’ use of routes over Siberia, and give preference instead to carriers from Japan, China and other Asian nations.

"We are calling on the European Union to do whatever it takes to prevent a trade war," he said. "We intend to get EU’s carbon trading measures either cancelled or postponed."

Moscow is also considering a law banning Russian airlines from taking part in the EU scheme. Beijing has already told Chinese airlines to ignore the EU’s measure and a similar step is before the US Congress. Russia has threatened to cap European Union airline flights over Siberia as part of possible retaliatory measures approved by more than 20 countries .

The retaliatory steps include imposing new taxes on EU airlines, and suspending talks about giving European carriers more flying rights outside the bloc.

But the alliance of opponents, which includes the US, China and Japan, backed away from some of the more extreme steps they had been discussing ahead of a two-day meeting in Moscow that ended on Wednesday, such as reopening existing EU trade deals to pressure European industries.

The Moscow meeting also revealed the make-up of the countries fighting Brussels has changed since their efforts kicked off in India in September.

The US, China, Brazil, India, Japan and Russia have stayed steady opponents since then. But several others involved in earlier protests did not sign the Moscow declaration, including Canada, Egypt and Qatar.

And the number of Moscow signatories would have been smaller but for the presence of newer opponents, such as the former Soviet states of Armenia and Belarus.

And although officials from 23 countries signed a declaration listing eight measures they might adopt, they said they would only "consider" such actions.

The alliance of opponents aims to stop the bloc’s imposition of charges on carriers for their carbon pollution.

The retaliatory steps include imposing new taxes on EU airlines, and suspending talks about giving European carriers more flying rights outside the bloc.

But the alliance of opponents, which includes the US, China and Japan, backed away from some of the more extreme steps they had been discussing ahead of a two-day meeting in Moscow that ended last Wednesday, such as reopening existing EU trade deals to pressure European industries.

And although officials from 23 countries signed a declaration listing eight measures they might adopt, they said they would only "consider" such actions.

Connie Hedegaard, the EU climate commissioner, has repeatedly insisted Brussels will not back down to opponents of its boldest move yet to force the rest of the world to comply with its ambitious climate rules.

Writing on Twitter on Wednesday, she said: "Wonder if the next meeting hosted by Saudi Arabia will give a climate-friendly answer to the key question: what’s your concrete alternative?

Environmental campaigners said the Moscow meeting’s failure to agree on co-ordinated measures suggested the opponents’ efforts were fizzling out.

The outcome of the meeting showed "cooler heads may have prevailed and, if so, they are to be commended", said Annie Petsonk of the US Environmental Defense Fund.

The officials gathered in Moscow agreed to meet again in Saudi Arabia in the summer.

See also Europe’s Sensible Plan tweeted by Connie Hedegaard http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/27/opinion/airlines-emissions-and-europes-sensible-plan.html?_r=2

Valere Tjolle
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