The EU has just issued an unexpected preliminary list of assignments of operators to Member States, which will allow those operators on the list to launch ETS compliance plans now instead of waiting for the final list due out in February 2010, says an advisory from Universal to its client list.

Numerous operators had been listed by the EU under a flight support company instead of their own companies, and some of that has now been corrected. Others have filed Fleet List forms but have been awaiting assignment to a Member State. This is a link to the preliminary list.

The next step for operators is to file emissions and monitoring plans. Operators need to contact their Member State for compliance details, as these vary widely. Operators are encouraged to contact Universal's Regulatory Services Team for advice and assistance.

Operators who have not yet begun their compliance procedures need to be assigned to a member state. Some commercial [read: charter] operators whose operations meet a set of criteria are exempt. Go to this link to get started.