BRUSSELS — The European Commission says it will push ahead with plans to charge airlines for carbon emissions from international flights, despite the risk of tensions with the United States and opposition from carriers already facing high jet fuel prices.
The EU’s carbon pricing framework, the Emissions Trading System, currently applies only to flights within the EU, exempting routes to non-European destinations that account for most of the sector’s emissions.
This imbalance must end, the Commission said Tuesday, ahead of a much-anticipated review of the ETS expected in July.
The review aims “to make sure that we do have effective carbon pricing for the full share of EU emissions,” said Polona Gregorin, head of unit for transport at the Commission’s climate department.
