Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06THEHAGUE2553
2006-12-05 17:29:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy The Hague
Cable title:
DUTCH RESPONSE: EU EMISSIONS TRADING AND
how-toVZCZCXRO6848 RR RUEHAG RUEHROV DE RUEHTC #2553 3391729 ZNY CCCCC ZZH R 051729Z DEC 06 FM AMEMBASSY THE HAGUE TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 7601 INFO RUCNMEM/EU MEMBER STATES COLLECTIVE RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 1958 RUEHBR/AMEMBASSY BRASILIA 0414 RUEHBU/AMEMBASSY BUENOS AIRES 0166 RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA 2629 RUEHMO/AMEMBASSY MOSCOW 1692 RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI 0550 RUEHOT/AMEMBASSY OTTAWA 5097 RUEHUL/AMEMBASSY SEOUL 1347 RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO 1721 RUEHWL/AMEMBASSY WELLINGTON 0319 RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS 0420
C O N F I D E N T I A L THE HAGUE 002553
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/05/2016
TAGS: EAIR ECON SENV
SUBJECT: DUTCH RESPONSE: EU EMISSIONS TRADING AND
INTERNATIONAL AVIATION
REF: SECSTATE 190254
Classified By: Economic Counselor Karen Enstrom,
reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)
C O N F I D E N T I A L THE HAGUE 002553
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/05/2016
TAGS: EAIR ECON SENV
SUBJECT: DUTCH RESPONSE: EU EMISSIONS TRADING AND
INTERNATIONAL AVIATION
REF: SECSTATE 190254
Classified By: Economic Counselor Karen Enstrom,
reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)
1. (U) Econoff delivered on November 22 reftel demarche on
the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) and its potential
effects on international aviation to Rene Fennes, Head of
International Relations at the Ministry of Transport, Public
Works, and Water Management (MOT). Fennes responded that the
official GONL position strongly supported the European
Commission Directorate for the Environment (DGEnv) proposal.
2. (C) In a follow-up November 27 conversation, Fennes told
Econoff in confidence that the Dutch environmental lobby,
including several "hard-core green environmentalists," had
largely shaped the current GONL position. He said EU
environmental lobbyists had pressured the DGEnv to include
non-EU aviation in the proposed ETS legislation. Fennes
claimed to be aligned with Dutch "pragmatists," who opposed
support for such a "rash and unilateral" measure as including
non-EU aviation within the framework of the EU ETS. Despite
November 22 Dutch parliamentary elections, he did not foresee
any change in the current GONL position, as the next
government would not have the consensus needed to FORCE a
change. From an economic, trade, and transatlantic relations
perspective, Fennes believed "pragmatists" within various
Dutch ministries (primarily the MOT and Ministry of Economic
Affairs) had a strong argument for revisiting the inclusion
of non-EU aviation in the ETS.
3. (C) Upon Fennes recommendation, Econoff met December 1
with Hans Pulles, Dutch representative to the International
Civil Aviation Group (ICAO) and Chair of the Forecasting
Group at ICAO. Pulles said MOT's initial position had
favored a proposal including only CO2 and intra-EU AIR
traffic. The GONL later adopted the DGEnv position after
strong lobbying by the Dutch Environment Ministry. Pulles
predicted that real discussions over the proposal would await
the German EU Presidency.
4. (C) Pulles suggested that ICAO could provide a good
framework to discuss the ETS, but that there "must be
results." U.S. suggestions for further modeling, operational
changes, and technical improvements would not be enough to
offset the predicted growth in AIR traffic, he added.
ARNALL
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/05/2016
TAGS: EAIR ECON SENV
SUBJECT: DUTCH RESPONSE: EU EMISSIONS TRADING AND
INTERNATIONAL AVIATION
REF: SECSTATE 190254
Classified By: Economic Counselor Karen Enstrom,
reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)
1. (U) Econoff delivered on November 22 reftel demarche on
the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) and its potential
effects on international aviation to Rene Fennes, Head of
International Relations at the Ministry of Transport, Public
Works, and Water Management (MOT). Fennes responded that the
official GONL position strongly supported the European
Commission Directorate for the Environment (DGEnv) proposal.
2. (C) In a follow-up November 27 conversation, Fennes told
Econoff in confidence that the Dutch environmental lobby,
including several "hard-core green environmentalists," had
largely shaped the current GONL position. He said EU
environmental lobbyists had pressured the DGEnv to include
non-EU aviation in the proposed ETS legislation. Fennes
claimed to be aligned with Dutch "pragmatists," who opposed
support for such a "rash and unilateral" measure as including
non-EU aviation within the framework of the EU ETS. Despite
November 22 Dutch parliamentary elections, he did not foresee
any change in the current GONL position, as the next
government would not have the consensus needed to FORCE a
change. From an economic, trade, and transatlantic relations
perspective, Fennes believed "pragmatists" within various
Dutch ministries (primarily the MOT and Ministry of Economic
Affairs) had a strong argument for revisiting the inclusion
of non-EU aviation in the ETS.
3. (C) Upon Fennes recommendation, Econoff met December 1
with Hans Pulles, Dutch representative to the International
Civil Aviation Group (ICAO) and Chair of the Forecasting
Group at ICAO. Pulles said MOT's initial position had
favored a proposal including only CO2 and intra-EU AIR
traffic. The GONL later adopted the DGEnv position after
strong lobbying by the Dutch Environment Ministry. Pulles
predicted that real discussions over the proposal would await
the German EU Presidency.
4. (C) Pulles suggested that ICAO could provide a good
framework to discuss the ETS, but that there "must be
results." U.S. suggestions for further modeling, operational
changes, and technical improvements would not be enough to
offset the predicted growth in AIR traffic, he added.
ARNALL