The Permanent Representatives Committee today adopted a mandate for negotiations with the European Parliament on the proposal for a decision on the obligation to notify CORSIA (Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation) offsetting requirements. This initiative forms part of the green transition and aims to limit greenhouse gas emissions from international air transport. CORSIA is a global scheme for reducing CO2 emissions from international aviation adopted by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) in 2018, in which EU member states committed to participate from its pilot phase, which began in January 2021. The aim of the decision is to allow member states to fulfil their obligation to notify operators based in the Union of their offsetting requirements from the first deadline of November 2022. The revision of the emissions trading system (ETS) for aviation, which implements CORSIA in EU law, is the subject of another Commission proposal and is currently being discussed by the Council and the Parliament.
The mandate for negotiation on the proposal for a decision allows member states to honour their international commitments and fulfil their notification obligations in accordance with the deadlines and methodology laid down by the ICAO until new rules under the revision of the ETS for aviation are adopted by the co-legislators and transposed into member states’ law.
Next steps
Today’s mandate was approved by the Council’s Permanent Representatives Committee (Coreper), so the Council presidency can start negotiations with the European Parliament once the European Parliament has adopted its position.
Background
CORSIA was agreed on by the ICAO in 2018 with the aim of keeping greenhouse gas emissions from international aviation at their 2019-2020 levels. It complements a broader set of measures, including aircraft technology improvements, operational improvements and sustainable aviation fuels.
The CORSIA obligations have already started to apply. The monitoring, reporting and verification (MRV) requirements relating to CO2 emissions from international flights have applied since 1 January 2019. These obligations have been implemented in EU law by means of secondary legislation.
The CORSIA offsetting requirements have applied since 1 January 2021. Participation in the CORSIA pilot phase (2021‑2023) and first phase (2024-2026) is voluntary.