*** EU-US "OPENS SKIES" TREATY THREATENS GLOBAL WARNING AND REDUCES NATIONAL POWERS. Ireland could lose its ability to impose environmental taxes, pollution restrictions and safety safeguards on airlines under a draft Treaty between the EU and the USA which curtails the power of national governments. The draft treaty, meant to liberalise aviation,includes a little noticed clause that requires EU Member States to reach agreement with each other and with the USA before taking measures to tackle noise or pollution from airplanes. "The Guardian" newsaper, London,leaked the text of this draft "open skies" treaty on Monday 20 February. This EU-US Treaty will alarm environmental activists who point out that the growth in air travel is among the main causes of global warming. Aviation emissions are now the fastest growing sector of total greenhouse gas emissions. Article 14 of the draft Treaty forbids any environmental measures that could have "possible adverse effects" on the free traffic of aircraft. US negotiators insisted on this clause's inclusion when negoitiating the draft Treaty with the EU Commission, acting on behalf of the EU. The Americans feel that controls on aircraft emissions will increase costs, lose jobs and push several of its airlines,already under bankruptcy protection, out of business. The new Treaty will be adopted by the EU Council of Ministers by qualified majority vote,which means that Ireland will not have a veto and must comply with its terms even if it is quite opposed to them. So much for Dublin's sovereign independence!
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