THE European Commission will not add transport to a Europe-wide carbon dioxide emissions trading scheme before 2013.

The scheme was launched by the European Union in January this year as part of a battle against global warming by encouraging firms to change their behaviour and lower carbon dioxide emissions. The promise that transport will not be added for at least eight years came as Greece became the final member state to secure acceptance of its national allocation emissions.

The commission nonetheless started a review of the system, which will consider the scheme’s future expansion to cover transport.

It will also assess the functioning of the existing emissions allowance market, which covers fixed plant; the possible harmonisation of emissions allocation methods; the treatment of new countries entering the scheme; and incorporating other gases, although this too was ruled out until 2013.