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Saturday July 28, 2012

US to pile more pressure on EU in airline row


WASHINGTON: Washington will ratchet up the pressure next week to find a global solution to a bitter row over an European Union (EU) law that makes airlines that use European airports pay for carbon emissions.

In the US Senate, the powerful commerce committee will hold a vote on Tuesday on a bipartisan bill that would make it illegal to comply with the EU law.

“We hope that it will further signal to the EU that there continues to be deep opposition in the US,” said Nancy Young, the vice-president of environmental affairs for lobby group Airlines for America.

At the same time, the US State Department and Department of Transportation will hold meetings on Tuesday and Wednesday to try to accelerate efforts within the United Nations' aviation body the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) to come up with a solution acceptable to all sides.

The two-day meeting will bring together 17 non-EU countries opposed to the EU law, which since the beginning of this year requires all flights in or out of Europe to pay for their emissions, using the EU's Emissions Trading Scheme. - Reuters

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