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** While the diesel, petrol and electricity used for rail and road transport is heavily taxed, airlines and maritime transport – from fishing boats to cruise ships – continue to enjoy a free ride – a situation that may encourage environmentally harmful travel choices.**

A leaked document suggests Budapest wants to abandon the idea of setting a minimum levy on the kerosene that powers the booming airline industry before mid-century, in an apparent bid to unblock a stalled reform of European energy taxation rules that has sparked outrage among environmentalists.

The European Commission proposed three years ago a reform to the 2003 Energy Taxation Directive as part of a package of measures to achieve the new target of a 55% cut in CO2 emissions by 2030, including a proposal to scrap the blanket exemption for aviation and maritime fuels.

But the bill has been subject to repeated delay, exacerbated by the fact that tax is one of a handful of policy areas where EU legislation can only be enacted if backed unanimously by all 27 member states.

In a compromise proposal seen by Euronews that looks to break a deadlock in intergovernmental talks, current EU Council presidency holder Hungary has suggested minimum tax rates for aviation and maritime fuels should be postponed until 2049.