Belgium Requests Romania to Introduce Airline Pollution Tax on EU Council Agenda

A Belgian regional minister representing the country at an EU meeting in Brussels requested Romania to file, as EU Council president, an initiative to increase taxes for commercial flights due to pollution on the Council’s agenda.

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“We are convinced that the European Union must play a first-hand role for an equitable and correct taxation of aerial transport (…) Belgium has requested this subject on the agenda because additional efforts are and will be necessary. We must prevent a situation in which other economic sectors in the EU compensate for polluting emissions produced by airlines,” said Jean-Luc Cruke, the regional minister of budget, finances, energy, environment and airports for the Belgian region of Wallonia.

According to the Belgian official, the principle of taxation according to the level of pollution emitted should be applied to commercial airlines, and formally requested Romania to introduce the subject on the agenda of the next EU Council reunion regarding the environment.

He pointed to studies showing that carbon dioxide emissions produced by commercial flights have seen a constant rise recently, with a 21% increase observed throughout the last three years.

The European Commission has already announced that it is analyzing the initiative and will propose possible solutions, with France, Sweden, Luxembourg and the Netherlands declaring their support Belgium’s proposal.

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