Airlines should join CO2 trade in 2010: EU lawmakers

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - All airlines flying to, from and within the European Union should be included in the bloc's emissions trading system from 2010, EU lawmakers said on Tuesday, voting to move up the date from an original proposal.

The European Commission had proposed that inter-EU flights be included in the scheme from 2011 and international flights that land in or depart from the 27-nation bloc be included from 2012.

Members of the European Parliament's environment committee voted to accelerate those dates and combine them into one.

The EU's emissions trading scheme is its key tool to fight global warming and meet commitments to cut emissions of greenhouse gas emissions agreed under the Kyoto Protocol.

Airlines are not currently included.

The scheme sets limits on the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) -- the main greenhouse gas -- that big industries can emit and allows companies to buy or sell emissions permits depending on whether they exceed or undercut their limits.

The committee voted in favor of a proposal that 50 percent of the CO2 credits that airlines would need to participate in the scheme be sold or auctioned to them rather than given away.

Airlines oppose such a high level of auctioning, while environmentalists prefer more. The Commission's proposal foresees a much lower amount of permits being distributed to airlines in that way.

A vote on the bill in the full European Parliament is expected in November.