News Brief
International
Chinese Airlines to Sue EU
After 10 months of fruitless negotiations, China’s national airlines finally decided to jointly file a lawsuit against the European Union by the end of 2011.
The upcoming lawsuit originated with a new EU law which, since January 1, 2012, required the extension of EU-wide emissions tax to any airplane departing from or arriving at a European airport, with additional fines for excessive emissions.
The law, which lists all of the 33 Chinese national carriers as excessive emitters, has aroused strong opposition from countries including China, Russia and the US. Experts argued that the EU has no right to force non-EU members to comply with its local regulations.
Xie Xingquan, a Chinese civil aviation lawyer, told domestic media it is unreasonable for the EU to adopt the average emissions of 2004-2006 as a standards threshold for 2012-2020, since it would constrict the development of civil aviation in poorer countries. According to the Beijing Environment Exchange, the law, once implemented, will add at least US$40 to the price of an airplane ticket from China to Europe.
January 2012
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Badeling Pass | Beijing
Sep 2011 | Submitted by Brian Snelson
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