Brussels, 16/09/2013 (Agence Europe) - The European renewable ethanol lobby has spoken out against the vote of the European Parliament on the draft new EU rules on biofuels.
The European association of producers of renewable ethanol, ePure, which represents 55 companies across 18 member states accounting for 90% of the bioethanol production capacity of the EU, accuses the European Parliament of putting the future of their industry “under pressure” with some of the decisions it made at its vote on 11 September on the new rules for the EU biofuel policy (vote on the Lepage report on changes to the renewables and fuel quality directives to take account of indirect land-use change (ILUC) and tightening up the sustainability criteria of green fuels - see EUROPE 10919).
“Several of these decisions will discourage plans to green the European transport system. It is disappointing to see that the European Parliament has decided to significantly reduce the market for conventional biofuels in Europe. At a time when we need to boost our economy it is difficult to see why MEPs agreed to curtail jobs and investment in a sector that helps Europe to grow the production of clean and sustainable fuels”, commented Secretary General of the association Rob Vierhout.
Parliament's decision to apply an upper limit of 6% to the use of conventional biofuels in EU transport between now and 2020 “is not ideal” to promote investment unemployment in the European bioethanol sector, the association warns. It hopes that the member states will put matters right. However, although it feels that this upper limit is too restrictive, ePure welcomes the adoption of a separate objective for bioethanol in petrol for 2020, and a minimum target of 2.5% for advanced biofuels. (EH/transl.fl)