Brussels, 10/06/2010 (Agence Europe) - On Thursday 10 June, Energy Commissioner Günther Oettinger presented a new package of rules for governing the development and use of biofuels in the EU, with a view to meeting the climate target of 20% reduction in CO2 emissions by 2020 and, from that, the objectives set out in Directive 2009/28/EC on the promotion and use of renewable energy sources. The directive in question provides for the share of renewables in the EU's primary energy mix (primary consumption) to be 20% by 2020, and the share of renewables in total fuel consumption for EU transport 10% in each member state. The package is based on a certification system for biofuels (ethanol and biodiesel), both produced in and imported into the EU, and which, as the renewables directive stipulates, should comply with sustainability criteria in order to be counted in the EU objectives for 2020, and benefit from national public support (such as tax relief). Despite doubts about the sustainability of biofuels, Oettinger reaffirmed on Thursday the essential role of these fuels for promoting renewable energies in transport. While promising to be vigilant regarding the adverse consequences linked to biofuel production, the energy commissioner took a stance in favour of a biofuel consumption target within the EU of over 10%.
The package adopted by the European Commission on Thursday consists of two communications and a decision, which should help businesses and member states to implement the renewable energy directive. They focus especially on the sustainability criteria for biofuels and what is to be done in order to control that only sustainable biofuels are used in the EU.
Sustainable biofuel certificates. The Commission encourages industry, governments and NGOs to set up “voluntary schemes” to certify biofuel sustainability. It sets standards requiring this auditing to be reliable and fraud-resistant. Certificates will ensure that all biofuels marketed under the certified label are sustainable and produced according to criteria set out in Directive 2009/28/EC. Certification regimes should include an independent audit by auditors responsible for inspecting the whole of the production chain from farmer and mill to the fuel supplier, via the trader.
Protecting untouched nature. Biofuels eligible for the sustainability label should not come from natural forests, protected areas, wetlands, recently deforested areas, peat bogs, and areas of great value as far as biodiversity is concerned. Sustainability criteria also rule out the cutting down of rain forests for palm oil plantations.
Greenhouse gases emissions related to biofuels. In reaching their binding national objectives, member states should only take into account those biofuels which afford considerable reductions in greenhouse gas emissions (GGEs). Compared with fossil fuels, biofuels should bring GGEs down by at least 35% initially, with this figure rising to 50% by 2017 and 60% (for biofuels produced by new facilities) by 2018.
Imported biofuels. Criteria relating to the protection of the environment and minimum gains in terms of GGE reductions compared with fossil fuels will apply to all biofuels produced in the EU and imported from third countries. Only those biofuels which meet the criteria will be eligible for public support, such as tax relief. The “extremely restrictive” criteria set in the EU are “the most rigorous on Earth. We want more and more operators throughout the world to adopt our criteria. At any rate, all those who want to export their products to the EU,” Oettinger commented.
How certification works in practice. A UK fuel supplier, for example, who is using ethanol from Brazil has to notify the quantities of biofuels to the UK authorities. To show that they are sustainable according to directive 2009/28/EC, he can join a voluntary scheme. He has to make sure that throughout the production chain all records are kept, by the trader he buys the biofuels from, by the ethanol plant the trader buys the ethanol from, and by the farmer who supplies the ethanol plant with sugar cane. This control will be done before the company is joining the scheme and at least once a year thereafter. The auditing will be done as in the financial sector: the auditor will check all the paperwork and inspect a sample of the farmers, mills and traders. He will check whether the land where the feedstock for the ethanol is produced has been indeed farm land before and not a tropical forest. Speaking to press, Oettinger suggested a logo which could be displayed in service stations selling biofuels which have been approved, by the Commission, as being sufficiently sustainable that they can be counted in the 10% target. To obtain this logo, the whole biofuel chain would be monitored once per year by an in dependent auditor. (E.H./transl.jl/rt)