‘No Regard For Island Economies’: PN MEP Criticises Green Deal In Light Of Lufthansa’s Environmental Surcharge
The Lufthansa Group has introduced an environmental cost surcharge that will apply to departures from all 27 EU member states as well as the UK, Norway, and Switzerland and PN MEP Peter Agius has heavily criticised it as being a negative byproduct of the Green Deal.
”The Green Deal must be a fair deal for islands. The Green Deal transport rules tax flights on the basis of distance covered without any regard to the additional challenges of island economies,” Agius told Lovin Malta.
“Islands like Malta will end up paying a proportionately much higher price than mainland counterparts. This is very unfair. The EU is governed by a cohesion policy that should seek to favour islands and diminish handicaps for isolated regions.”
“It is therefore tragic that the Labour government failed to make the case for adapting the Green Deal rules to Malta. As a newly elected MEP I will strive, with my colleagues and allies, to infuse the island dimension into the green deal at the implementation stage wherever this is possible.
The surcharge is intended to cover part of the steadily rising additional costs due to regulatory environmental requirements. These include the statutory blending quota of initially two percent for Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) for departures from European Union countries.
As part of its “Fit for 55” climate protection programme, the EU has decided on mandatory SAF blending quotas that will increase over the years up to 2050. The SAF quota is to be 2% from 2025, 6% from 2030, 20% from 2035 and 70% from 2050. For the Lufthansa Group, this will lead to additional costs in the billions in the future.
The amount of the surcharge varies depending on the flight route and fare and is between €1 and €72. The Environmental Cost Surcharge will be levied on all tickets issued from 26th June and applies to departures from 1st January 2025.
The Lufthansa Group has set itself ambitious climate protection targets and is aiming for a neutral CO₂ balance by 2050. By 2030, the aviation group aims to halve its net CO₂ emissions compared to 2019 through reduction and compensation measures.
This action was co-financed by the European Union in the frame of the European Parliament’s grant programme in the field of communication. The European Parliament was not involved in its preparation and is, in no case, responsible for or bound by the information or opinions expressed in the context of this action. In accordance with applicable law, the authors, interviewed people, publishers or programme broadcasters are solely responsible. The European Parliament can also not be held liable for direct or indirect damage that may result from the implementation of the action.
Do you agree with Agius?
READ NEXT: Alex Agius Saliba Re-elected As One Of S&D Vice-Presidents In European Parliament
