Brussels, 04/05/2007 (Agence Europe) - As we announced earlier (EUROPE 9418), the Commission is preparing Community legislation allowing delivery of the new compulsory Union targets for renewable energies (20% of total energy consumption and 10% at least of biofuels in transport in 2020) adopted at the European Council in March (EUROPE 9383). It has launched public consultation on the development of biofuels and is suggesting possible ways forward. EUROPE now returns to the possible ways forward proposed by the Commission in a document on-line at: http: //ec.europa.eu/energy/res/consultaton/biofuels_en.htm
The document must allow the Commission to receive, until 4 June, the points of view expressed by public authorities, companies, NGOs and other parties interested on the four following issues:
(1) How should a biofuel sustainability system be designed? One option for the initial design of the scheme would, the Commission says, be for the legislation to list the “sustainability criteria” to be fulfilled by the biofuels that are used to fulfil the biofuels target of 10%, thus achieving a minimum level of greenhouse gas savings, avoiding major reduction in carbon stocks through land use change, and avoiding major biodiversity loss from land use change. Biofuels that failed to meet one of these criteria would not count towards national biofuel targets. They would not count towards national “biofuel obligations”. They would not be eligible for tax reductions and similar types of financial support. Member states would be responsible for ensuring that the criteria are respected.
(2) How should overall effects on land use be monitored? According to the possible way forward suggested by the Commission, legislation could ask the Commission to report regularly on: - how land use would have developed if biofuel use had remained constant; - how land use has in fact developed; - and the estimated effect on overall land use of increasing biofuel use.
(3) How should the use of second-generation biofuels be encouraged? According to the Commission, the legislation could require member states to give an advantage to second-generation biofuels in their support systems, either, for example, by replacing the requirement for a 2% share of first-generation biofuels with a 1% share of second-generation biofuels, or second-generation biofuels could receive higher subsidies than the first-generation.
- (4) What further action is needed to make it possible to achieve a 10% biofuel share? The Commission notes that it has proposed amending the fuel quality directive to increase the maximum blending of ethanol in petrol to 10% by volume. It has also asked the European Committee on Standardisation (CEN) to amend the diesel standard to allow a 10% biodiesel blend, but, the Commission says, this process could take a long time, perhaps four years, and may not lead to widespread availability of fuel containing 10% biodiesel. The 10% target could be achieved using means other than the direct blending of ethanol and biodiesel (ETBE, biomethane etc.), it says, before adding: “If none of these methods can be relied on to ensure that the target will be met, it will be necessary to allow a further increase in the share of ethanol that can be blended in ordinary petrol - up to 20%, for example - and perhaps allow a further increase in the share of biodiesel that can be blended in ordinary diesel - up to 15%, for example”. It concludes by stating that a decision should be taken soon so that manufacturers can take these requirements into account in designing vehicles that will be on the roads in 2020. (eh)