EU sticks to disputed airline emissions plan

[jpak]

http://www.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUSL2812976320070928

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union stuck to its plans to include foreign airlines in its emissions trading system at U.N. meetings this week, despite opposition from the United States.

Airline emissions were top of the agenda of a tri-annual meeting of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), a United Nations body, in Montreal which ended on Friday.

The European Commission said in a statement there was no clear agreement on how to cut greenhouse gas emissions from international aviation and the EU insisted it had the right to include airlines in its trading system.

"We strongly believe that it would be best if the international community could reach an effective mechanism on tackling aviation emissions," said Luis Fonseca de Almeida, the civil aviation chief in current EU president Portugal.

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