EU 'stops the clock' on ETS

Airlines have won a 12-month reprieve from incurring fines under the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS), after European Commissioner for Climate Action Connie Hedegaard said she is "stopping the clock" on the controversial scheme.

The EU incorporated aviation within the ETS on 1 January 2013. The scheme currently only applies to flights from one EU member country to another – but the EU was due to begin levying fines on non-compliant airlines in April 2013. According to airlines and industry organisations such as the International Air Transport Association (IATA), a charge per tonne of CO ₂ emitted would cost carriers EUR17.5 billion (USD22.2 billion) over eight years – although the EU maintains that the ETS would only add EUR4-EUR24 to the cost of a long-haul flight.