EU energy ministers met today to adopt amendments to the Renewable Energy Directive and the Fuel Quality Directive made in June. If endorsed by the European Parliament, the agreement would see a 7% cap on food-based biofuels, and a reporting requirement of Member States on Indirect Land Use Change (ILUC) which will help track the real environmental impact of biofuels.
Marc-Olivier Herman, Oxfam’s EU Biofuels expert, said:
“The deal that EU energy ministers adopted today fails to cure a flawed EU biofuels policy. Food will continue being poured into the petrol tanks of European cars while millions go to bed hungry every night. This deal won’t stop deforestation in Indonesia and elsewhere driven by the huge Euro demand for crops biofuels.
“The European Parliament must steer Europe away from biofuels competing with food for land and crops. It should also ensure that European countries report greenhouse gas emissions correctly – while protecting European taxpayers from paying for a fuel source even dirtier than fossil fuels. Nils Torvalds, the MEP in charge of this legislation, can either stand against this biofuels policy that exacerbates hunger and climate change, or else bend to the whims of industry lobbyists.”
Notes aux rédactions
In October 2012, the European Commission proposed amending the EU’s Renewable Energy Directive by introducing a 5% limit for counting food crop-based biofuels towards the 10% target for renewable energy in transport fuels by 2020, improving sustainability criteria and promoting the use of advanced biofuels. In September 2013, the European Parliament voted for a 6% cap. The proposal will now head back to the European Parliament who will hold a ‘second reading’ starting in January in an attempt to reconcile differences with the Council’s amendments. After finalizing their position, the Parliament will then take part in trialogue talks with the Council and the Commission before voting on whether to ratify the legislation in April.
Click here to read more on Oxfam’s position on EU biofuels reform.
Contact
Angela Corbalan on + 32 (0) 473 56 22 60 or angela.corbalan@oxfaminternational.org
In October 2012, the European Commission proposed amending the EU’s Renewable Energy Directive by introducing a 5% limit for counting food crop-based biofuels towards the 10% target for renewable energy in transport fuels by 2020, improving sustainability criteria and promoting the use of advanced biofuels. In September 2013, the European Parliament voted for a 6% cap. The proposal will now head back to the European Parliament who will hold a ‘second reading’ starting in January in an attempt to reconcile differences with the Council’s amendments. After finalizing their position, the Parliament will then take part in trialogue talks with the Council and the Commission before voting on whether to ratify the legislation in April.
Click here to read more on Oxfam’s position on EU biofuels reform.
Angela Corbalan on + 32 (0) 473 56 22 60 or angela.corbalan@oxfaminternational.org
