Indian carriers have provided carbon emission data: EU

New Delhi - Despite the government's appeal to airlines to refrain from submitting carbon emission data to the European Union (EU) for a new tax, EU climate action commissioner Connie Hedegaard Friday said Indian carriers have submitted data to them.

The ministry of civil aviation in December last year wrote to all the India carriers flying abroad to stay away from providing carbon emission data to EU.

Indian along with US, China and many other countries have been opposing EU's Emission Trading Scheme (EU- ETS) that came into effect from Jan 1. Under the scheme, airlines using EU airspace will have to pay a fee for carbon emissions that exceed a set limit.

Hedegaard, who met Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh in the capital Friday to discuss the matter, said: "I had a constructive dialogue with the aviation minister. It seems now that the US, India and others are embracing that we should make substantial progress in the area."

Replying to a question about whether Indian carriers have provided data about carbon emission, Hedegaard said "yes".

She said EU has been working for so many years in the area but no progress was made at global level.

"We are not dictating others what to do. They can do whatever they want and we can discuss if they are equivalent measures. The key point is some of those who now rally against the European legislation is what alternative can they rely on. It's always easy to say what you do not like. I would very much like to hear what do they like," she said.

She said EU is open to accept an international regime similar to EU-ETS. "But the world is not so that you can say oh let's discuss that in International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), please take away your legislation. That's not how we are playing," she added.