The final inter-institutional negotiations between the EU Council and the European Parliament on the Renewable Energy Directive took place on Tuesday 21 March. The co-legislators discussed various points of the directive, with the ‘transport’ section (see EUROPE 13145/14) at the top of the agenda, without making any major progress.
There were still many issues on the negotiating table. While discussions on REPowerEU and the permitting component of the framework for renewable energy projects and grids have progressed, a number of issues relating to the transport component are still under discussion.
This is particularly the case for the targets for the share of renewable energy sources in the transport sector. While these figures have been left in square brackets for the time being, the co-legislators did manage to agree on the general methodology: a hybrid approach leaving Member States free to either calculate a share of renewable energy sources in their final energy consumption or to calculate a percentage reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.
Discussions also focused on a common and binding target figure for advanced biofuels and renewable fuels of non-biological origin (RFNBOs) at European level. A final Commission proposal, still under discussion, is to set separate RFNBO and biofuel targets at national level.
Negotiations also focused on the maritime sector and the ban on biofuels and bioliquids produced from soy and palm oil.
The section on joint renewable energy projects between Member States was simply not addressed. Agreement has also yet to be reached on the overall targets for the share of renewable energy sources in EU final consumption figures by 2030.
These points will therefore be discussed at the next negotiating session on 29 March. Several parliamentary sources have said from the outset that these negotiations, expected to be the last before a possible conclusion, will be very complicated. (Original version in French by Pauline Denys)