More than 25 countries, including the US, Canada, the UAE, Japan, Singapore and Thailand, are to meet in Moscow to map out retaliatory measures to fight the European aviation carbon tax, a London conference was told.

The tax scheme requires all flights landing in the EU to pay for carbon credits. The US says the scheme breaks international law and violates environmental treaties – claims that were recently dismissed by the European Court of Justice.

But lawyer Andrew Waite, specialising in environmental law, told 300 delegates from 62 countries attending the recent Aviation Carbon 2012 conference at London Heathrow that the European court made a political rather than a legal ruling in the case.

“The court decided it wanted to support the scheme and afterwards figured out arguments that would support it. The court pushed the boundaries of international law,” said Mr Waite.

This ruling resulted in a standoff and neither the European Commission or opposing countries will back down, reported London’s International Freighting Weekly. China has banned its airlines from paying the tax and the US has legislation on the way to ban its carriers from complying.

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