INCLUSION OF USG (STATE) OPERATORS IN EU EMISSIONS

UNCLAS ROME 001029 SIPDIS STATE PLEASE PASS TO EEB/TRA/OTP FOR MEGAN WALKLET-TIGHE AND TO EUR/ERA TO MATTHEW BEH FAA API PLEASE PASS TO JENNIFER KILEO FAA AEA PLEASE PASS TO KURT EDWARDS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: EAIR ECON SENV KGHG IT SUBJECT: INCLUSION OF USG (STATE) OPERATORS IN EU EMISSIONS TRADING SCHEME REF: STATE 89892 ¶1. (U) Post delivered the demarche to Aldo Sansone, Director General for Airports and Air Navigation at the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure. Sansone said the key person he has working this issue is Paulo Sappino who will not be in the office until the week of September 7. Absent Mr. Sappino's input Sansone declined to give any response to the demarche. We hope to meet next week with Mr. Sappino and will then send a response via front channel cable. ¶2. (U) Post also delivered the talking points to Antonio Bernardini, Diplomatic Advisor at the Ministry of the Environment and Land and Sea Safeguards and to Sebastiano Serra, executive secretary of the inter-ministerial Kyoto Protocol Management Committee, which oversees the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) in Italy. The Committee is chaired by Corrado Clini, Environment Ministry Director General for Environmental Research and Development; Post shared the points with expert Federica Fricano in Clini's directorate. The Environment Ministry has provided no substantive response to the points thus far; Post will report any feedback upon receipt. ¶3. (U) Post has previously discussed the EU ETS with ENAC, the Italian civil aviation authority, but ENAC's office of environmental policy now says that competence for the EU ETS rests solely with the Ministry of the Environment. Despite this assertion Post intends to follow up with ENAC's Director of Environmental Policy when he returns to Rome. THORNE