Legal battle in the air hangs over ships
Aviation and maritime sectors in Europe should be subject to same emissions control The direction of a legal battle over the European Union's regulation of airlines' greenhouse-gas emissions (GHGs), which has great implications for the maritime industry, maybe revealed as soon as next month. The European Court of Justice is expected to deliver its initial findings in a case brought by US airlines against the UK Government and European Commission over the inclusion of international airlines in the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS) as soon as late September.The international maritime industry has a lot at stake in this case. Brussels is also formulating a proposal to regulate GHGs from all shipping in the EU in much the same way. The chances of it successfully doing so will be heavily influenced by the outcome of the aviation case in Europe's highest court.An initial ruling from the ECJ could come in September or October, although there are expectations the full course of legal action could carry over into next year, which takes beyond the date the regulation comes into force.From January 1, Brussels will bring airlines into the EU ETS and require the surrender of emissions permits for every tonne of ...
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