US 'deeply concerned' after EU eyes carbon price for international flights

BRUSSELS, July 20 (Reuters) - The United States is "deeply concerned" about the European Union's plans to impose carbon costs on some international flights, a spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Transportation told Reuters on Monday.

• "The United States remains deeply concerned about any expansion of the EU's Emission Trading System," the spokesperson said.

• The European Commission published proposals on Friday to start applying costs on emissions from international flights departing Europe - measured by a specific point in central Europe - and landing in countries up to 5,000 km away.

• That threshold would exclude direct flights from Europe to the United States - a limit some EU officials said had been designed to avoid stoking tensions with U.S. President Donald Trump's administration. However, U.S. officials are still concerned about the proposal.

• "We are analyzing the European Commission's proposal and will take appropriate steps as needed to protect American consumers and businesses," the spokesperson added.

• Washington blocked a previous attempt by the EU to expand its ETS to cover international flights in 2012.

(Reporting by Kate Abnett; Editing by Makini Brice, Inti Landauro and Susan Fenton)