The European Union is putting a year-long freeze on a controversial rule that all airlines flying in and out of EU airports pay a carbon emissions tax.

Climate Commissioner Connie Hedegaard says the European Union wants to “stop the clock” to create goodwill during talks on a global deal to curb pollution from airplanes. But she said if the EU efforts do not deliver positive results, the tax will automatically resume.

The tax would apply to all flights through EU airspace, regardless of where they originated. European airlines operating within the European Union will still pay the tax.

Several foreign governments, including the United States, China, and India, protested the fee and strongly lobbied against it. But environmentalists say emissions from jets are a contributor to global warming and must be curbed.