New ICAO Council High-level Group to focus on environmental policy challenges

At its meeting last Friday, the Council of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) agreed to form a special High-level Group to provide near-term recommendations on a series of policy issues which have arisen in the course of ICAO’s ongoing research into the feasibility of a global market-based measure (MBM) scheme appropriate to international aviation, as well as its development of a policy Framework to guide the general application of any proposed MBM measures to international air transport activity.

The 37th Session of the ICAO Assembly in 2010 instructed the UN aviation body to prepare and deliver both the MBM Framework and Feasibility Report for consideration by its next triennial Assembly in October 2013.

The new Council High-level Group is to be composed of senior government officials nominated by their administrations, ensuring geographical representation and taking into account levels of international civil aviation activities. Its membership and terms of reference are expected to be finalized later this week.

Based on the encouraging results of the ICAO Council meeting on 9 November – and the constructive engagement of its international partners in relevant discussions – ICAO has welcomed the recent announcement by EU Climate Commissioner, Connie Hedegaard, that Europe’s governing body will “stop the clock” when it comes to enforcement of the inclusion of aviation in the EU ETS to and from non-European countries.