ICAO Opposes EU Incorporation of Aviation into Emissions Trading System

On November 2nd, ICAO adopted the council’s decision at the 194th session of the second meeting of the Board of Directors in Montreal. The first time it explicitly opposed the EU’s unilateral inclusion of international aviation into the EU’s emissions trading system and formed relevant decisions and declarations. The EU and its member states cooperate with the international community to cope with aviation emissions.

The council made the above decision after reviewing the working paper "Include international civil aviation into the European Union's emission trading mechanism and its impact" submitted by the 26 member states including China.

The document pointed out that the EU ignored the concerns of non-EU countries and unilaterally adopted legislation to include aviation into the European Union's emissions trading mechanism and decided to formally implement it from next year. This practice not only violates the principle of national sovereignty listed in Article 1 of the Chicago Convention, but also violates the relevant principles and provisions of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and its Kyoto Protocol.

When the representative of China’s permanent ICAO Council, Ma Tao, said in his speech, EU’s unilateral legislation to include international aviation into its emissions trading system does not comply with relevant international laws and ignore the efforts of other countries, especially developing countries, in reducing aviation emissions. The Chinese government strongly opposes this. Ma suggested that regarding the issue of reducing and limiting emissions from international aviation, China insists that seeking consensus through multilateral negotiations is the most feasible and effective model. In addition, he also introduced the efforts, achievements, and future work goals of China Civil Aviation in addressing climate change, energy conservation, and emission reduction.

Representatives of India, the United States, Russia, Brazil, South Africa and Nigeria, who co-sponsored the working document, spoke in succession and opposed the EU’s unilateral actions. They also pointed out that the EU’s practices ignored the rights and concerns of non-EU countries and did not consider the differences between countries. Social and economic conditions will inhibit the sustainable growth of international aviation.

The eight members of the European Union have defended their positions and raised objections from the board of directors' meeting procedures and the legal status of the document. However, after fierce debates, the council finally passed the 26-nation joint agency document and adopted the council's decisions and declarations.

The CAAC expressed appreciation to the ICAO Council for its efforts in dealing with the EU's aviation emissions trading system. We welcome and support the relevant decisions and declarations adopted by the Council for this purpose, and we hope that the EU will abandon its unilateral actions as quickly as possible. Along with mutual respect and consensus, all countries will effectively solve the problem of emissions from international aviation and promote the sustainable development of international aviation and related industries. The official also pointed out that China’s civil aviation will abide by the principle of fairness and mutual consent and actively and constructively participate in negotiations and action on international aviation in response to climate change.