Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2001-07-02-Speech-1-080"
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"en.20010702.8.1-080"2
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"Mr President, I very much appreciate the Commissioner's statement. I believe we are all agreed that the forthcoming ICAO general assembly meeting is going to be a key one as far as aviation and environment are concerned.
As Mr Sterckx has said, I was the rapporteur for Parliament's response to the Commission's proposals on air transport and the environment last year. You may recall that Parliament put a very strong emphasis on the need for a positive outcome from this ICAO meeting. We said, crucially, that if ICAO did not deliver what we need then the EU will have to seriously consider adopting its own complementary measures to ensure that environmental concerns are more properly integrated into the aviation industry.
Let us recall just two key points of the context of those discussions. First, air transport is growing at a phenomenal rate, with global passenger numbers due to double in less than 20 years' time. Secondly, the current policy framework artificially subsidises aviation and therefore stimulates this growth still further. Aviation fuel is not taxed, it is not subject to VAT and it is not covered by the Kyoto Protocol.
So what does Parliament expect from this ICAO meeting? On noise reduction: at the Cape Working Group meetings over the past few weeks and months the EU has proposed phasing out Chapter 3 planes and upgrading Chapter 4. That is a minimum requirement: to try to reach the target of noise reduction of, at best, –14 dBA, but at the very least, –10 dBA reduction at source. If ICAO cannot do that, we will need to look at differentiation, as the Commissioner has said, in introducing operational restrictions on Chapter 3 at a number of noise-sensitive airports. But the EU may also need to look at introducing an aircraft noise limitation directive in order to achieve that reduction of, at the very least, 10 dBA, in recognition of the particular problems of a densely populated area like the EU.
On emissions, we need concrete and efficient measures to reduce aircraft emissions, including not only voluntary measures but also emissions-related levies. Aircraft should fulfil ambitious but feasible emission reduction targets. If ICAO will not deliver then the EU will have to develop its own emission limits.
I very much regret that we are not able to have a Parliamentary resolution on this subject. I believe a strong message from this Parliament could have strengthened the negotiating hand of the Council and Commission at ICAO. I hope that both Council and Commission will hear very strongly the strength of feeling which is shared by all groups in the European Parliament on this subject and seek to get the best possible deal in September. But if such a deal cannot be struck, they must come back to Parliament so that we can work together to ensure that the EU's own treaty commitments and obligations on integrating the environment into all areas of policy can take proper effect in the field of aviation."@en1
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