Brussels, 04/12/2014 (Agence Europe) - MEPs at the European Parliament's environment committee, chaired by Giovanni La Via (EPP, Italy) rejected the Commission's draft directive that seeks to help implement the obligation on transport fuel suppliers in Europe to reduce the level of carbons in fuel by 6% from now until 2020. This would be done by applying the directive on quality fuels (Directive 2009/30/EC amending Directive 98/70/EC) (EUROPE 11172 and 11171). This directive does not penalise the most polluting kinds of fuels such bituminous shale sands. Neither does it provide any incentive for cleaner fuels or enable consumers to benefit from cleaner fuels. It subsequently opens the door to bituminous shale sounds and reduces the other compliance options that would help reduce the level of carbons by 6%. MEPs have therefore rejected this draft directive. The Commission representative was keen to point out that the previous casting of the text, presented in October 2011, did not obtain a majority at the Council. MEPs called on the Commission to revise the text.
With its vote to reject the text, the Parliamentary committee is effectively opposing the adoption of the draft directive because it considers that this text is not compatible with the objectives or substance of Directive 98/70EC. MEPs are therefore calling on the Commission to withdraw this text, revise it and present a draft that more appropriately complies with the 2011 proposal. During the debate, many MEPs from all the different parties, criticised the intense lobbying that had encouraged the Commission to propose standard fuel values that put bituminous shale sands on a par with conventional crude oils. MEPs also criticised, “the hidden commercial motives” in the text that is, “very off-message”, despite the fact that the directive on fuel quality is one of the rare instruments for tackling climate change in the transport sector and which accounts for a third of total EU greenhouse gas emissions. Environmental NGOs harshly criticised this text too but immediately welcomed its rejection. (AN)