MONTREAL, Canada – The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) has expressed concern that the proposal to expand the scope of the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) for aviation from 2029 would undermine the only globally harmonized measure applying to CO2 emissions from international aviation and result in duplicative measures.
While ICAO recognises the efforts made by the EU to support the ICAO Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA), a unilateral expansion of the EU ETS for aviation, as proposed by the European Commission on 17 July 2026, would be inconsistent with CORSIA’s objective. CORSIA is the only global market-based measure applying to CO2 emissions from international aviation. It has been approved by ICAO member states since 2016, with the European Union and its member states playing an instrumental role in building consensus towards this globally harmonised solution.
Expanding the EU ETS for aviation would introduce the potential for double charging for CO₂ emissions from international aviation, with implications for the effective implementation of CORSIA. The proposal also risks fragmenting global aviation decarbonization efforts and jeopardising the achievement of ICAO’s collective global aspirational goals for the international aviation sector.
These concerns were highlighted at the 42nd Session of the ICAO Assembly in 2025, where member states unanimously provided ICAO with a clear and reinforced mandate to advance its environmental protection agenda. This includes advancing CORSIA, which was designed to give aviation the certainty needed to move forward on its path to net-zero carbon emissions by delivering direct environmental benefits and by ensuring a level playing field, transparency and cost-effectiveness.
ICAO is encouraging all member states to continue their strong support for CORSIA. Member States must maintain their collaborative engagement with ICAO to advance aviation environmental protection in a pragmatic and harmonised manner, grounded in cooperation and multilateralism. In this way, member states will accelerate progress towards achieving net zero carbon emissions from international aviation, in line with ICAO’s strategic vision for 2050.