Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2006-07-03-Speech-1-133"
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"en.20060703.18.1-133"2
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".
Mr President, we like to proclaim the growth of cheap air travel as a European success story. It is thanks to the breaking of national monopolies that there are now such unparalleled opportunities, mainly for the middle class, to enjoy holidays abroad. My own assistant just popped over to Stockholm this weekend for an engagement party – not even a wedding, just an engagement party. We all enjoy this, but I think we have to remember that the poorest in society, let alone the poorest across the world, are denied these opportunities. Whatever the price of the air fare, they cannot afford the holidays at the other end; but for those of us in a privileged position it is fantastic.
The trouble is the predicted growth is so great as to wipe out the gains being made in reducing carbon dioxide in other sectors. A big airline operator in the UK told me they expect a 60% increase in the use of their planes over the next six years alone. That is a fantastic and terrible rate of growth. What the lobbying letters from the aviation industry are really saying, putting forward every excuse in the world, is this: ‘just don’t touch us, we are somehow special. Our growth and our profits must be protected. Do not take measures against us. The future of the world can go to hell, frankly, just so long as we are protected’.
They want to be included in the Commission’s emission trading scheme, and you may ask why. It is because they know it is not going to be consequential on their profits. The socialists are now saying yes, we are backing the capitalists in this. I think they should look at this again. The point is that the aviation industry says a closed scheme would be a tax. Yes, in effect it would be a tax, but it would be a flexible tax rewarding those who take measures to try to introduce the best technology and to make maximum use of their planes.
Technological development is what we really need to promote. Our message to the airline industry should be this: expand as you like, but find ways of doing it without increasing CO2 emissions. We do not want to stop air travel, we simply want to ensure that its growth is not at the expense of our children and our future."@en1
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