Lobby group: Force airlines to follow EU emissions law

[BRUSSELS] Foreign airlines that failed to comply with emission curbs in the European Union's cap-and-trade programme must be forced to pay for their pollution, according to the Transport & Environment lobby group.

The environmental group asked authorities in the UK, the Netherlands and Germany to take steps to ensure that airlines from countries including China and India meet their requirements under the EU emissions trading system (ETS). Carriers such as Air China Ltd and Air India Ltd failed to submit permits to cover their emissions on intra-European flights in 2012, the lobby said.

"EU countries must enforce compliance with the ETS in a consistent and fair manner," said Bill Hemmings, aviation manager at Transport & Environment in Brussels. "No enforcement means offenders gain a competitive advantage over those that did play by the rules and foreign governments receive a signal that complying with EU law is voluntary."