Give bureaucrats a little power, and watch it go to their heads to the point of starting an international trade war which no one can afford.
Commissar Connie demands your data – or else face enforcement action.
EU Environment Commissar Connie Hedegaard, of tiny Denmark, is getting tough with economic and political behemoths like USA, China and Russia…to name a few.
Reuters writes:
A new stand-off looms after EU Climate Commissioner Connie Hedegaard said the carriers would have until the end of this week to submit their data or face enforcement action.”
But at least China is not taking this lightly, as they are threatening to impound EU planes should Hedegaard and all the napoleonic enviro-bureaucrats in the EU not back down.
Wei Zhenzhong, secretary general of the China Air Transport Association, said:
We would not like to see a situation of ‘you hold up my planes and I hold yours’. The government will take at least the same kind of measures, and these anti-sanction moves will be lasting,”
But the EU enviro-bureaucrats think it’s okay to boss the rest of the world around. Reuters writes:
The EU says such action is needed to meet the bloc’s environmental targets and fill a vacuum left by international failure to deal with aviation emissions.”
China has already postponed orders for Airbus planes worth $14 billion. Those are orders Boeing surely has an eye on. Expect Hedegaard to come under lots of pressure from other EU pols more concerned about jobs and urgently work on a face-saving measure.
Connie, is a nutter, a green loon and unhinged at the best of times.
This insistance, on emissions data is cracked beyond belief – but hey its the EU!
She spends to much time supping champagne with the other socialist head cases in Berlaymont.
Pierre, is Connie’s correct title Czar or Czarina? On second thoughts obviously it’s Queen of Hearts, she obviously lives in Wonderland?
I think eco-fascism is a correct term for this type of bureaucrats.
Connie reminds me so much of a spoilt, petulant 12-year-old.
Some girls never grow up.
The ongoing increase of the EU-wide unemployment rate is directly related to the ever increasing cost of energy. Hedegaard and the other CO2 hardliners are directly responsible. If one could raise efficiency fast enough to compensate for lacking primary energy one could keep the unemployment rate constant. Obviously this doesn’t work.
Connie’s Revenge: 3.xx Euros says Vestas come here:
http://www.comdirect.de/inf/aktien/detail/uebersicht.html?ID_NOTATION=4002050
While I have been aware of this attempt at saving the world I have not followed it closely enough to know the plan for the money collected. Assuming all the world’s airlines paid, how much would that be per year? Who gets the money? Then what? I can guess the effect on the average global temperature – to the nearest whole number it will be Zero so use of the money must produce some spectacularly good works to compensate for the degradation to the world’s economy and the cost of the bureaucracy to collect and disperse it. Maybe Ms. Hedegaard has already answered this but, if not, could someone query her?
You would think that with all of the problems that the EU has it would stop being so restrictive in trade etc.. Apart from the Euro self induced problems they still want to restrict trade, working times, in fact any ability to earn money is pushed through the web of needless climate change claptrap to cure a non existant problem.
Money as usual will end up having the last word on this subject. Note China’s hardball tactic of threatening impounding/hijacking Euro planes, and cancelling Airbus orders. This Danish chick is in WAY over her head.
Think Blue Europe, your days are numbered!
This kind of stupidity always happens after a long Great War,
and it opens so many new opportunities for the next Great War.
Alas! Poor Europe, I knew her well!
Don’t worry. Retaliation takes many forms. Air China (Internal) has already cancelled orders for 35 Airbus aircraft. You know the European Aircraft company supporting green jobs on the dole.
A shame politicians can do so much damage in the short period they are in office.
they should feel it in their wallet like everybody else.