Activities of Vera TAX related to 2021/0205(COD)
Plenary speeches (1)
Sustainable aviation fuels (ReFuelEU Aviation Initiative) (debate)
Amendments (16)
Amendment 42 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 1
Recital 1
(1) Over the past decades, air transport has played a crucial role in the Union's economy and in the everyday lives of Union citizens, as one of the best performing and most dynamic sectors of the Union economy. It has been a strong driver for economic growth, jobs, trade and tourism, as well as for connectivity and mobility for businesses and citizens alike, particularly within the Union aviation internal market. Growth in air transport services has significantly contributed to improving connectivity and cohesion within the Union, including its regions, and with third countries, and has been a significant enabler of the Union economy.
Amendment 48 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 2
Recital 2
(2) From 2020, air transport has been one of the hardest hit sector by the COVID-19 crisis. With the perspective of an end to the pandemic in sight, it is expected that air traffic will gradually resume in the coming years and recover to its pre-crisis levels. At the same time, emissions from the sector have been increasing since 1990 and the trend of increasing emissions could return as we overcome the pandemic. Therefore, it is necessaryimperative to prepare for the future and make the necessary adjustments ensuring a well-functioning air transport market that contributes to achieving the Union’s climate goals, with high levels of connectivity, safety and security.
Amendment 57 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 4
Recital 4
(4) The air transport market is subject to strong competition between economic actors across the Union, for which a level playing field is indispensable. The stability and prosperity of the air transport market and its economic actors relies on a clear and harmonised policy framework where aircraft operators, airports and other aviation actors can operate on the basis of equal opportunities. It is essential to ensure air connectivity within the Union by stakeholders from the Union. This to avoid dependence on third country stakeholders and safeguard air transport business and jobs, but also to retain an air transport and infrastructure security in line with the Union security. Where market distortions occur, they risk putting aircraft operators or airports at a disadvantage with internal or external competitors. In turn, this can result in a loss of competitiveness of the air transport industry, job opportunities for workers, and a loss of air connectivity for citizens and businesses.
Amendment 70 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 7
Recital 7
(7) The Communication on a Sustainable and Smart Mobility Strategy10 adopted by the Commission in December 2020 sets a course of action for the EU transport system to achieve its green and digital transformation and become more resilient. The decarbonisation of the air transport sector is a necessary and challenging process, especially in the short term. Technological advancements, pursued in European and national research and innovation aviation programmes have contributed to important emission reductions in the past decades. However, the global growth of air traffic has outpaced the sector’s emissions reductions. Whereas new technologies, such as electric- or hydrogen powered aircrafts, are expected to help reducing short-haul aviation’s reliance on fossil energy in the next decades, sustainable aviation fuels offer the only solution for significant decarbonisation of all flight ranges, already in the short term. However, this potential is currently largely untapped. _________________ 10 Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions: Sustainable and Smart Mobility Strategy – putting European transport on track for the future (COM/2020/789 final), 9.12.2020.
Amendment 79 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 8
Recital 8
(8) Sustainable aviation fuels are liquid, drop-in fuels, fully fungible with conventional aviation fuel and compatible with existing aircraft engines. Several production pathways of sustainable aviation fuels have been certified at global level for use in civil or military aviation. Sustainable aviation fuels are technologically ready to play an important role in reducing emissions from air transport already in the very short term. They are expected to account for a major part of the aviation fuel mix in the medium and long term. Further, with the support of appropriate international fuel standards, sustainable aviation fuels might contribute to lowering the aromatic content of the final fuel used by an operator, thus helping to reduce other non-CO2 emissions. Other alternatives to power aircraft, such as electricity or liquid hydrogen are promising technologies that are expected to progressively contribute to the decarbonisation of air transport, beginning with short-haul flights.
Amendment 102 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 15
Recital 15
(15) The present Regulation should apply to aircraft engaged in civil aviation, carrying out commercial air transport flights. It should not apply to aircraft such as military aircraft and aircraft engaged in operations for humanitarian, search, rescue, disaster relief or medical purposes, as well as customs, police and fire-fighting operations. Indeed, flights operated in such circumstances are of exceptional nature and as such cannot always be planned in the same way as regular flights. Due to the nature of their operations, they may not always be in a position to fulfil obligations under this Regulation, as it may represent unnecessary burden. In order to cater for a level playing field across the EU aviation single market, this regulation should cover the largest possible share of commercial air traffic operated from airports located on EU territory. At the same time, in order to safeguard air connectivity for the benefits of EU citizens, businesses and regions, it is important to avoid imposing undue burden on air transport operations at small airports. A threshold of yearly passenger air traffic and freight traffic should be defined, below which airports would not be covered by this Regulation; however, tThe scope of the Regulation should be to cover at least 95% of total traffic departing from airports in the Union. For the same reasons, a threshold should be defined to exempt aircraft operators accountable for a very low number of departures from airports located on EU territoryll airports in the Union in the long term.
Amendment 148 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 21
Recital 21
(21) With the introduction and ramp-up of sustainable aviation fuels at Union airports, practices of fuel tankering may be exacerbated as a consequence of aviation fuel costs increases. Tankering practices are unstainable and should be avoided as they undermine the Union’s efforts to reduce environmental impacts from transport. Those would be contrary to the aviation decarbonisation objectives as increased aircraft weight would increase fuel consumption and related emissions on a given flight. Tankering practices also put at risk the level playing field in the Union between aircraft operators, and also between airports. This Regulation should therefore require aircraft operators to refuel prior to departure from a given Union airport. The amount of fuel uplifted prior to departures from a given Union airport should be commensurate with the amount of fuel necessary to operate the flights departing from that airport, taking into account the necessary compliance with fuel safety rules. The requirement ensures that equal conditions for operations in the Union applying equally to Union and foreign operators, while ensuring high level of environmental protection. As the Regulation does not define a maximum share of sustainable aviation fuels in all aviation fuels, Member States, airlines and fuel suppliers may pursue more ambitious environmental policies with higher sustainable aviation fuels uptake and supply in their overall network of operations, while avoiding fuel tankering.
Amendment 160 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 22
Recital 22
(22) Airports covered by this Regulation should ensure that all the necessary infrastructure is provided stakeholders, such as airport managing bodies and/or other parties involved in fuel supply, covered by this Regulation should facilitate for delivery, storage and refuelling of sustainable aviation fuel, so as not to constitute an obstacle with respect to the uptake of such sustainable aviation fuel. If necessary, the Agency should be able to require a Union airport to provide information on the infrastructure available allowing for seamless distribution and refuelling of aircraft operators with sustainable aviation fuels. The role of the Agency should allow airports and airlines to have a common focal point, in the event where technical clarification is necessary on the availability of fuel infrastructure.
Amendment 196 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 3 – paragraph 1 – indent 1
Article 3 – paragraph 1 – indent 1
— ‘Union airport’ means an airport as defined in Article 2(21) of Directive 2009/12/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council13 , where passenger traffic was higher than 1 million passengers or where the freight traffic was higher than 100000 tons in the reporting period, andich is not situated in an outermost region, as listed in Article 349 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union; _________________ 13 Directive 2009/12/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 March 2009 on airport charges
Amendment 201 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 3 – paragraph 1 – indent 2
Article 3 – paragraph 1 – indent 2
Amendment 264 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 4 – paragraph 1 a (new)
Article 4 – paragraph 1 a (new)
Without prejudice to the first paragraph, Member States may introduce higher colume shares than the minimum values set out in Annex I, provided that the volume shares are transparent, non- discriminatory and proportionate to the objective. 6 months before a Member State introduces such measures, it shall inform the aircraft operators, aviation fuel suppliers, the Agency and the Commission.
Amendment 299 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 6 – title
Article 6 – title
6 Obligations of Union airports to provide the infrastructure at Union airports
Amendment 308 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 6 – paragraph 1
Article 6 – paragraph 1
Union airports stakeholders, such as airport managing bodies and/or other parties involved in fuel supply, shall take necessary measures to facilitate the access of aircraft operators to aviation fuels containing shares of sustainable aviation fuels in accordance with Annex I and, shall provide the infrastructure necessaryfacilitate for the delivery, storage and uplifting of such fuels.
Amendment 316 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 6 – paragraph 2
Article 6 – paragraph 2
Where aircraft operators report difficulties to the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (‘the Agency’) in accessing aviation fuels containing sustainable aviation fuels at a given Union airport for lack of adequate airport infrastructure, the Agency may request the Union airport stakeholders to provide the information necessary to prove compliance with paragraph 1. The Union airport stakeholders concerned shall provide the information without undue delay.
Amendment 325 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 6 – paragraph 3
Article 6 – paragraph 3
The Agency shall assess the information received and inform the Commission if such information allows to conclude that the Union airport stakeholders does not fulfil its obligations. Union airport stakeholders shall take the necessary measures to identify and address the lack of adequate airport infrastructure in 5 years after the entry into force of the Regulation or after the year when they exceed one of the thresholds in Article 3(a).
Amendment 403 #
(b) The amount of sustainable aviation fuel and of synthetic aviation fuel supplied at Union level in aggregate, by Member State and by Union airport;