Key Dates and Activities for Compliance with the Scheme

May to June 2009

Operators should consult the preliminary list of EU ETS Administering Member States and contact the appropriate competent authority. If Ireland is the Administering MS operators should email the contact details (title, first name, last name, job title, email address, telephone number, and aircraft operator name) of an appropriate person within their organization who will deal with the monitoring and reporting requirements on their operation's behalf to avets@epa.ie with the subject "Aviation Contact Details - (Operator Name)". Note: It is very important to make early contact with the Irish EPA to ensure all mailshots with guidance and templates for the submission of monitoring plans are received.

August 31, 2009

Submission of annual emissions monitoring plan.

August 31, 2009

Submission of optional benchmarking plan (for operators who wish to apply for a free allocation).

December 31, 2009

Final date for approval of benchmarking and emissions plans.

January 1, 2010

Start of the benchmarking year for operators applying for a free allocation. This benchmarking year is the benchmarking year for the first two trading periods up to 2020.

January 1, 2010 and every year thereafter

Start of the first emissions monitoring year. Please note however that 2012 is the first monitoring year for which operators must surrender the correct number of allowances to cover their carbon dioxide emissions. Allowances must be surrendered on Registry accounts by April 30, 2013.

March 31, 2011

Deadline for submission of verified benchmarking data for applications for free allowances.

March 31, 2011 and every year thereafter

Deadline for mandatory submission of verified annual emissions data for preceding year.

June 30, 2011

Closing date for Member State to submit applications for free allowances to Commission.

September 30, 2011

Commission produces benchmark number for calculating emissions.

December 31, 2011

Regulator publishes final allocations to each operator.

February 28, 2012

Regulator issues allowances to operators.

December 31, 2012

End of first emissions reporting year for which allowances must be surrendered by operators. 

April 30, 2013 and every year thereafter

Operators surrender the correct number of allowances from their Registry accounts to cover their carbon dioxide emissions for the previous year.