Brussels, 12/09/2013 (Agence Europe) - According to Greenpeace, MEPs voted with one hand on their heart and the other on the environmentally-destructive fuel pump for cars in the EU. On Wednesday 11 September, they voted on the two texts aimed at capping the use of biofuels for transport by 2020 and at taking into account greenhouse gas emissions linked to the production of first generation forest-destroying fuels (see EUROPE 10919).
“Today's incoherent vote was clearly the result of horse-trading. The Parliament wants the EU to drive on both sides of the road: to recognise that biofuels made from food crops are destructive to the environment, but to continue supporting them politically and financially”, said Sébastien Risso, Greenpeace EU Forests Policy Director.
To illustrate how incoherent the vote was, Greenpeace notes that MEPs voted to cap the use of biofuels produced from food at 6% of energy used in transport in the EU, which corresponds to a higher level than at present (around 4.5%). At the same time, they voted to delay negotiations between the EU institutions, raising questions on whether a final deal on biofuels policy can be achieved before the parliamentary elections in May 2014, the NGO points out.
Furthermore, Parliament voted for inclusion of the ILUC factor, but only in one of the two relevant laws under consideration, namely the directive on the quality of petrol and diesel fuels (Directive 98/70/EC) (but not in Directive 2009/28/EC on renewable energies). This choice, combined with the inability to stop the growing use of food-based fuels before 2020, sends a confused message regarding the future of energy policy in transport, Greenpeace says.
The NGO therefore calls on member states to stop and reverse the expansion of harmful biofuels. It underlines the need to take into account the full carbon footprint of biofuels and to phase out public support and subsidies for environmentally and socially damaging biofuels.
Priority must be given to real solutions to ensure greener transport, Greenpeace argues. It goes on to give the example of innovative technologies which have shown their worth in energy efficiency by allowing energy consumption to be reduced in that sector, with green mobility in cities, and cars and trains which run on renewable electricity. (AN/transl.jl)