No emissions cuts in aviation until 2035, says the EU

During the next 20 years aircraft won't be able to invert their polluting trends. The increasing demand for flights makes a sustainable scenario «not realistic»

by Emanuele Bonini

There would be a lot to do, but there's nothing to do: a reduction of CO2 emission in civil aviation is simply impossible, according to a report from the European Commission published today. There are no scenarios showing a decrease of the greenhouse gas (GHG). On the contrary, all the indicators are expected rising up. The first "European Aviation Environmental Report" states that CO2 emissions have increased by about 80% between 1990 and 2014, and are forecast to «grow by a further 45% between 2014 and 2035». At the same time, NOX emissions - already doubled between 1990 and 2014 - are forecast to grow by a further 43% between 2014 and 2035. This basically shows that despite new technologies, «future improvements are not expected to be sufficient to prevent an overall growth in emissions during the next 20 years». The main cause of this irreversible trend is due to an increase of flight demand. Number of flights has increased by 80% between 1990 and 2014, and is forecast to grow by a further 45% between 2014 and 2035, with the total number of flights shifting from 8.85 million in 2014 to 12.8 million by 2035. Experts from the European Commission consider «not realistic» to imagine a  GHG emission reduction in civil aviation sector. Thus the real challenge for civil aviation is nothing but a reduction of the growing amount of emissions. In other words, the real goal is just to minimize the environmental impact of aviation.

Spain to re-discuss Stability and growth pact rules

In case of a Psoe-Podemos coalition debt reduction will be slower, said Pablo Iglesias, opening the door to an anti-austerity alliance

by Emanuele Bonini

Spain can put Europe in troubles, opening a new conflict within the EU. The leader of the Partido Popular, Mariano Rajoy, wasn't able to find a majority to create a government, and now it's up the Socialists try to form a coalition. This the first political element coming from the Spanish political world. The second element is the possibility of a coalition between Socialists and the far-left party Podemos. In such a coalition the political agenda would be a stop to austerity measures and «reduce the deficit at a slower rhythm». This is more than flexibility, this is putting in question the stability and growth pact rules. So, what about now? What to do in case Spain really will put forward a revision of the rules? These ones are more than questions, since they risk to became a real problem. The European Commission is keeping silence. Officially the EU institutions never offer comments on internal affairs, especially when things are ongoing and still to happen. But of course there are those who already study countermeasures in case of a Spanish issue, because there is no doubt that Spain can  There is a silent concern. Governments, EU institutions, stock exchanges are looking at Spain. An eventual Psoe-Podemos alliance could be seen as a threat in stability, and maybe the beginning of a domino effect. Spain is not Greece, it's a big country and a big economy, but re-discussing rules would offer an opportunity to put together all those against the strict side of the Stability and growth pact. A government starting not fulfill the European commitments can put in question the Eurozone as a whole, with unpredictable effects on financial markets and, of course, the Eurozone. Of course we talk about the statements coming from Podemos leader Pablo Iglesias. Nothing but words, at the moment. But in politics words count.

Pressmen, chapter 8

Vanity Press 
(lessons of non-journalism)

Who does a pressman write to? Community, it could be said. Society could be another answer. Sorry, but all these answers are wrong. A pressman writes nothing but to himself. Articles and press reports are the pure written expression of any single journalist composing exclusively for his personal pleasure and self-glorification. Information, opinion, analysis are nothing compared to vanity press. In case you believe «where is the new?« is the question on the basis of pressmen activity, let's make clear once and for all that the press world only answer to the following question: «Magic mirror in my hand, who is the greatest in the land?» Of course the greatest one is always the pressman, not a specific pressman, but every single man holding a valid press card. Reason and truth are not out of there, but in what journalists write. So, even when the final work is incomprehensible or not properly written, it is just because of the reader. Reader is the only responsible for not having got what is on paper. Let's have a practical example, and take an article from a well known Italian news agency:

(Original version) 

 ++ Fonti Ue, c'è ipotesi stop Schengen previsto da art.26 ++

(ANSA) - BRUXELLES, 21 GEN - In caso di "minaccia sistemica e persistente" alle frontiere esterne di Schengen, la Commissione Ue può proporre al Consiglio l'attivazione dell'articolo 26 del codice, che prevede la possibilità di introdurre controlli alle frontiere interne fino a due anni. Così il portavoce della Commissione Ue. A dicembre Bruxelles non aveva escluso la possibilità di farvi ricorso in futuro e secondo fonti Ue la questione si riproporrà al summit di febbraio. A maggio, la Germania - e a seguire altri Paesi - esaurirà il periodo massimo per i controlli consentito dagli articoli 23 e 25.(ANSA).

«Renzi acts like a mayor», says EPP secretary general

Antonio Lopez-Isturiz White against the Italian prime minister. «He has to remember he's a premier. Let him learn from Juncker»

Antonio Lopez (elPais)

English version of the my interview published on QN - Quotidiano Nazionale

Stimulating the political debate in Europe is not a problem. Of course, when you know how to do. On the contrary, Matteo Renzi «still tends to act like a local politician» rather than a head of government. This is Antonio Lopez-Isturiz White's criticism over the Italian prime minister. The secretary general of the European Popular Party (EPP) came to his conclusions after the struggle between Italy and the European Commission: the Italian leader should attend politics lessons from the same person so criticized in Rome, the president of the European Commission. «President Juncker is a seasoned politician who was Prime Minister of his Country for 20 years, I think Mr Renzi might learn from him the noble art of patience and statesmanship».
Manfred Weber, the president of the EPP group at the European Parliament, stated Renzi is putting at stake the credibility of the EU. Where Renzi  is wrong?
«The Prime Minister should not underestimate the fact that he is the Prime Minister of one of the most prominent European Countries and not the Mayor of a city: there is a substantial difference Mr Renzi has to understand yet as he still tends to act like a local politician».
From the S&D group it has been said Italy has the right to stimulate the debate. So, what is the matter? Renzi is doing in the wrong way?
«There is nothing wrong in raising debates but one should keep in mind that a debate is a means of understanding rather than the objective per se, there are certain limits that need to apply in order for the debate to be part of a solution: a debate is not to be raised through a press conference, it is instead to be raised in the institutions, with different counterparts. Maybe Prime Minister Renzi chooses not to do so in the Council as not all of his colleagues (including Socialists) appreciate what he says and that is why he instead opts for provocative declarations once outside of the Council meetings. The game for Italy is inside the European Council, as a leader, not outside in front of cameras».

Quotes

«Il y a un probleme vraiment serieux entre les états membre. Il y a un manque de confiance entre les états membres».
(Frans Timmermans, vice-president de la Commission Européene, 15 janvier 2016)

A farewell to Europe

Neither migration nor Renzi. The real problem of the European Union is the lack of mutual trust

by Emanuele Bonini

«There is the real problem that Member State don't trust each other». This sentence alone is enough to explain what is the situation of the European Union today. It has been the first vice-president of the European Commission, Frans Timmermans, the one who told the truth once and for all. Mutual confidence is over, and once this situation is there it becomes very hard to imagine a future. In his interview at RTL Radio France Timmermans talked about more topics, but the lack of confidence is all we need to understand that the problem real problem is not the migrant crisis, neither Italy, nor Poland. The problem is the European Union is a non-entity, because in everyday life once mutual confidence is over, the relation is doomed to collapse. May we believe that people don't trusting each other can work together on migration? When there is no trust anything becomes possible. When a person doesn't trust another person, it is for everything. It is for migration as well as for banking union. If Italy believes the European Commission is acting only to protect certain countries, then something is seriously compromised. With no trust, what could we expect? But this is not just the case of Italy. It is the case of France, Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, and many other. And that's the point, that's where we are. The EU implosion is not so far.