General Information on Biofuels in Europe

This section of the website provides summary information on the following topics, Policy, Research, Associations, Stakeholders and Legislation as appropriate to each Working Group Theme. It also includes links on Mapping and Dissemination and sources of further information.

More detailed updated information is available on individual topic pages within the Biofuels Information section.

Policy

Climate Change: 2050 - the future begins today

The European Parliament resolution of 4 February 2009 on “2050: The future begins today – Recommendations for the EU's future integrated policy on climate change” (2008/2105(INI)) - sets out a range of measures that should be taken in order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 25-40% by 2020 and a reduction of at least 80% by 2050.

The report advocates that EU and Members States should invest in research on advanced biofuels, among other technologies.

View summary of policy measures for biofuels

current policy on biofuels must be seen in a global perspective, where on the one hand there is growing competition for productive land and on the other there is an increasing need for renewable energy, in particular in the transport sector,
the production of biomass offers many developing countries new economic opportunities for energy production and as a fuel, and will make them less dependent on energy imports, provided that such production is sustainable and does not lead, for example, to monocultures or to competition as regards food production,
the emissions reduction potential of many first-generation biofuels in comparison to conventional fuels has been revised downwards, in some cases substantially, following a comprehensive life-cycle analysis, and whereas issues of sustainability, environmental impact and the availability of arable land in competition with food production have still not been satisfactorily resolved,
a sustainable biofuels policy should be geared not only to setting sustainability criteria for the manufacture of biofuels but also to promoting the most rapid development possible of second-generation biofuels,
the petroleum industry will only put in place the necessary comprehensive infrastructure for new fuels when there is a sufficient demand for biofuels, but the motor industry has made technological advances permitting any mixture of petrol and biofuels to be detected by a sensor in the vehicle, a device which will also enable older vehicles to run on biofuels, thus achieving CO2 emissions reductions over the whole range of existing vehicles,
the potential of biofuels can only be realised if they are seen as a component in the development of sustainable transport systems, including the development and use of highly fuel-efficient vehicles,

On January 10th, 2007, the European Commission released Press Release IP/07/29:, a Communication ‘Towards a European Strategic Energy Technology Plan’ COM(2006)847 as part of its Energy Package as well as An Energy Policy for Europe COM(2007). As indicated below, both of these can have a significant impact on the development of biofuels.

SET-Plan COM(2006) 847 final (53 Kb)

The aim of the European Strategic Energy Technology Plan (SET-Plan) is to match the most appropriate set of policy instruments to the needs of different technologies at different stages of the development and deployment cycle. It will therefore address the entire innovation process from basic research to market uptake.

The priorities include bio-diesel and bio-ethanol as well as biofuels from ligno-cellulosic Feedstocks and Synthetic fuels from gas.

An Energy Policy for Europe COM(2007) 1 final (125 Kb)

This indicates that “In the light of the information received during the public consultation and the impact assessment, the Commission proposes in its Renewable Energy Roadmap 21 a binding target of increasing the level of renewable energy in the EU's overall mix from less than 7% today to 20% by 2020. Targets beyond 2020 would be assessed in the light of technological progress. Biofuels could make up to 14% of transport fuels by 2020.

A particular feature of this framework is the need for a minimum and coordinated development of biofuels throughout the EU. While biofuels are today and in the near future more expensive than other forms of renewable energy, over the next 15 years they are the only way to significantly reduce oil dependence in the transport sector. In its Renewable Energy Roadmap and Biofuels Progress Report, the Commission therefore proposes to set a binding minimum target for biofuels of 10% of vehicle fuel by 2020”.

Research

European Technology Platforms

The concept of the European Technology Platform was established to provide a framework for stakeholders, led by industry, to contribute to the identification of research and development priorities, timeframes and action plans related to what are perceived as strategically important issues for the EU. They contribute to various measures aimed at achieving Europe's future growth, competitiveness and sustainability where the specific objectives are dependent dependant on major research and technological advances in the medium to long term. They are expected to play a key role in ensuring that sufficient funds are directed towards areas with a high degree of industrial relevance.

The activities of the Technology Platforms cover the complete economic value chain from raw materials to end user markets including involvement of public authorities at national and regional levels. By encouraging effective public-private partnerships, Technology Platforms have the potential to contribute significantly to the Lisbon Strategy and to the development of a European Research Area of knowledge for growth.

As such, they are contributing to the development of European research policy, in particular in advising the Seventh Research Framework Programme to better meet the needs of industry and contribute to the restructuring of traditional industrial sectors.

The most relevant technology platforms as far as the development of biofuels for transport are concerned are considered in more detail within the specific area where they should have the greatest impact. These are as follows:

Biomass production

The European Forest-Based Sector Technology Platform (FTP)

Plants for the Future (PlantTP)

Fuel Production

The European Technology Platform for Sustainable Chemistry (SUSCHEM)

The European Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology Platform (HFP)

End use

European Road Transport Research Advisory Council (ERTRAC)

Lisbon Strategy and European Research Area

The Lisbon Strategy has been adopted by the EU in order achieve greater productivity and improve economic growth through the adoption of various policy initiatives to be taken by all EU member states. These include attempts to raise the level of EU spending on Research and Development overall EU to 3% of GDP as part of the aim to develop the capacities and tools to make Europe more competitive, create jobs and ensure sustainable growth.

This figure of 3% has not been met, although Europe has a long standing tradition of excellence in research and innovation, and European teams continue to lead progress in many fields of science and technology. However, due to the way the EU has evolved this effort is scattered across the continent and may lack adequate networking and cooperation. In order to increase collaborative efforts and build a research and innovation equivalent of the "common market" for goods and services, a European Research Area has been proposed. This aims to re-group all Community support leading to better coordination of research activities and the convergence of research and innovation policies, at national and EU levels.

European RTD and Energy Framework Programmes

The EU provides support for research, demonstration, development, education, studies and information dissemination through a series of Framework Programmes. Projects and other activities supporting the development of renewable biofuels for transport will be supported by the Seventh RTD Framework Programme (FP7) that officially started in December 2006. A number of relevant projects funded under the previous FP6 activity are still on-going, while others have been completed.

Links to these and other EU Supported Research, Development and Demonstration activities and Related Studies are included below.

The EU also promotes the use of renewable energy and energy efficiency through specific Energy Framework Programmes, under the banner of Intelligent Energy–Europe

This section considers opportunities for funding under FP7, while key projects from previous RTD and Energy Framework Programmes are included in the research reviews of the various sub-sections of this overview.

FP7

FP7 information on Europa and Cordis

The Seventh Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development (FP7) is the EU's main instrument for funding research in Europe and it will run from 2007-2013. FP7 is also designed to respond to Europe's employment needs, competitiveness and quality of life.

FP7 is organised in four specific programmes, corresponding to four major objectives of European research policy:

Cooperation - Support will be given to the complete range of research activities carried out in transnational cooperation, from collaborative projects and networks to the coordination of research programmes.

Ideas - An autonomous European Research Council will be created to support investigator driven "frontier research" carried out by individual teams competing at the European level, in all scientific and technological fields.

People - The activities supporting training and career development of researchers, referred to as "Marie Curie" actions, will be reinforced with a focus on the key aspects of skills and career development and strengthened links with national systems.

Capacities - Key aspects of European research and innovation capacities will be supported as research infrastructures; research for the benefit of SMEs; regional research driven clusters; unlocking the full research potential in the EU's "convergence" regions; "Science in Society" issues; horizontal" activities of international co-operation. In addition, there will be a specific programme for the non-nuclear actions of the Joint Research Centre.

Cooperation Themes

The nine themes identified for the "Cooperation" part are:

Health
Food, Agriculture and Biotechnology
Information and Communication Technologies
Nanosciences, Nanotechnologies, Materials and new Production Technologies
Energy
Environment (including Climate Change)
Transport (including Aeronautics)
Socio-economic Sciences and the Humanities
Security and Space

Energy

Funding is provided to support the transformation of the current fossil-fuel based energy system into a more sustainable one based on a diverse portfolio of energy sources and carriers combined with enhanced energy efficiency, to address the pressing challenges of security of supply and climate change, whilst increasing the competitiveness of Europe's energy industries.

The section on renewable fuel production and integrated conversion technologies aims to develop and drive down the unit cost of solid, liquid and gaseous (including hydrogen) fuels produced from renewable energy sources, resulting in the cost-effective production and use of carbon-neutral fuels, in particular liquid biofuels for transport.

The first Call for Proposals in the Energy Sector(December 2006), that is divided into two parts includes sections focused on biofuels for transport. Part one covers small or medium scale focused projects, as well as some Collaborative projects, Coordination and Support Action while part 2 mainly covers collaborative projects. Biofuel related activities are covered in both parts.

Part one includes pre-treatment of lignocellulosic biomass for ethanol production, new and advanced technologies for hydrolysis and/or fermentation of lignocellulosic biomass, high purity syngas cleaning technologies for biofuels, biological conversion of syngas into liquid biofuels and the development of the Biorefinery concept, as well as alternative routes to renewable fuel production.

Part 2 includes a range of activities related to both first and second generation renewable fuel production including bioethanol from sugar and starch crops, biodiesel from oil crops, animal tallow and used cooking oils and synthetic biofuels via gasification as well as demonstration of Liquid and gaseous biofuels use in transport and vehicles.

Transport

Activities aim to foster the development, based on technological advances, of "greener" and "smarter" pan-European transport systems for the benefit of the citizen and society, respecting the environment and natural resources; and securing and further developing the leading role attained by the European industries in the global market. This includes the greening of surface transport with the development of clean and efficient engines - including hybrid technology - and the use of alternative fuels for transport applications.

Food, Agriculture and Biotechnology

This includes funding for renewable resources as well as the application of biocatalysts that may be used for generation of liquid biofuels for transport.

Intelligent Energy - Europe (IEE)

IEE information on Europa and ManagEnergy

IEE is an EU programme for the promotion of energy efficiency and renewable energy sources. It aims to help to produce and use energy in more intelligent ways and to increase the use of renewables. It ran from July 2003 to the end of 2006. A second IEE programme with a budget of about € 730 million will start in 2007 as part of the European Competitiveness and Innovation Programme that runs to 2013. Full details of this programme are not available yet – further information will be added as it becomes available.

With a total budget of €250 million, IEE supported European Projects, events such as conferences, start-ups of local/regional energy agencies and concerted actions. During the course of the activity over 200 international projects, some 30 local/regional energy management agencies and around 30 European events were supported. Those of relevance to renewable liquid transport fuels are detailed in the various sub-sections of this overview. In general these were funded through the following sub-programmes:

ALTENER - New and Renewable energy sources

STEER - Energy aspects of transport

EC Supported Research, Development and Demonstration activities and Related Studies

View list of recent EC projects on biomass availability, conversion, end use, sustainability/certification and markets.

National Research Activities

Information will be added as it becomes available

Associations and Common Interest Groups

International

Biomass

COPA – COGEA Committee of Professional Agricultural Organisations in the European Union and General Confederation of Agricultural Co-operatives in the European Union
www.copa-cogeca.be

Confederation of European Forest Owners
www.cepf-eu.org

EPSO, European Plant Science Organisation
www.epsoweb.org

ESA European Seed Association
www.euroseeds.org/

Conversion

EBB - European Biodiesel Board
www.ebb-eu.org

CONCAWE Oil Company Organisation for Environment, health and safety
www.concawe.be

EFOA - European Fuel Oxygenates Association
www.efoa.org

EFPRA – European Fat Processors & Renderers Association

EuropaBio The European Association for Bioindustries
www.europabio.org

EUROPIA - The European Petroleum Industry Association
www.europia.be

FEDIOL - EC Seed Crushers and Oil Processors Association
www.fediol.be

SNPAA - Syndicat National des Producteurs d’Alcool Agricole

UEPA - European Union of Ethanol Producers
www.uepa.be/home.php

End use of biofuels

ACEA European Automobile Manufacturers Association
www.acea.be

ENGVA - European Natural Gas Vehicle Association
www.engva.org

EUCAR - The European Council for Automotive R & D
www.eucar.be

General

AEBIOM – The European Biomass Association
www.aebiom.org

EREC - European Renewable Energy Council
www.erec-renewables.org

EUBIA - European Biomass Industry Association
www.eubia.org

EUFORES - the European Forum for Renewable Energy Sources
www.eufores.org

FEDARENE - European Federation of Regional Energy and Environment Agencies
www.fedarene.org

National

Information will be added as it becomes available

Stakeholders

These are listed according to their area of operation within the sub-sections of this topic

Legislation

Further information on European Legislation is available through EUR-Lex the portal to European Union law

EUR-Lex provides direct free access to European Union law. The system makes it possible to consult the Official Journal of the European Union and it includes inter alia the treaties, legislation, case-law and legislative proposals. It offers extensive search facilities.

Some existing legislative and related documents are listed below – this section is in the process of development and up-dating. The entries are divided into the following sections:

General
Biomass production
By-products and other resources
Fuels
Vehicles
Markets

General

Communication from the Commission - An EU Strategy for Biofuels {SEC(2006) 142}

COM/2006/0034 final

Biomass Production

Commission Regulation (EC) No 1870/95 of 26 July 1995 amending Regulation (EEC) No 334/93 laying down detailed implementing rules for the use of land set aside for the provision of materials for the manufacture within the Community of products not primarily intended for human or animal consumption and repealing Regulation (EEC) No 2595/93 laying down detailed rules for implementing Council Regulation (EEC) No 1765/92 as regards the use of land set aside for the production of multiannual raw materials for the manufacture within the Community of products not intended for human or animal consumption OJ L 179, 29.7.1995, p. 40–48

COM/2006/0500 final Report from the Commission to the Council on the review of the energy crops scheme (under Article 92 of Council Regulation (EC) No 1782/2003 establishing common rules for direct support schemes under the common agricultural policy and establishing certain support schemes for farmers)

COM/2006/0500 final Proposal for a Council Regulation amending and correcting Regulation (EC) No 1782/2003 establishing common rules for direct support schemes under the common agricultural policy and establishing certain support schemes for farmers and amending Regulation (EC) No 1698/2005 on support for rural development by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD)

REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE COUNCIL on the review of the energy crops scheme(under Article 92 of Council Regulation (EC) No 1782/2003 establishing common rulesfor direct support schemes under the common agricultural policy and establishing certain support schemes for farmers){SEC(2006) 1167}

Proposal for a COUNCIL REGULATION amending and correcting Regulation (EC) No 1782/2003 establishing common rules for direct support schemes under the common agricultural policy and establishing certain support schemes for farmers and amending Regulation (EC) No 1698/2005 on support for rural development by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) (presented by the Commission) COM (2006) 0500

By-products and other resources

COM/2004/0499 final Communication from the Commission to the Council and the European Parliament - Accomplishing a sustainable agricultural model for Europe through the reformed CAP - sugar sector reform

Commission Regulation (EC) No 260/2006 of 15 February 2006 amending Regulation (EC) No 1573/2005 opening a standing invitation to tender for the resale on the Community market of rye held by the German intervention agency for processing into bioethanol and its subsequent use for the production of biofuel in the Community OJ L 46, 16.2.2006, p. 17–17

Commission Regulation (EC) No 92/2005 of 19 January 2005 implementing Regulation (EC) No 1774/2002 of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards means of disposal or uses of animal by-products and amending its Annex VI as regards biogas transformation and processing of rendered fats OJ L 19, 21.1.2005, p. 27–33

Commission Regulation (EC) No 1678/2006 of 14 November 2006 amending Regulation (EC) No 92/2005 as regards alternative means of disposal of and use of animal by-products OJ L 314, 15.11.2006, p. 4–6

Commission Regulation (EC) No 1858/2006 of 15 December 2006 opening a tendering procedure for the sale of wine alcohol for use as bioethanol in the Community

Fuels

COM(2007) 18 . Proposal, of 31 January 2007, for a DIRECTIVE OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL amending Directive 98/70/EC as regards the specification of petrol, diesel and gas-oil and the introduction of a mechanism to monitor and reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the use of road transport fuels and amending Council Directive 1999/32/EC, as regards the specification of fuel used by inland waterway vessels and repealing Directive 93/12/EEC
download (PDF 88Kb)

Opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee on The development and promotion of alternative fuels for road transport in the European Union OJ C 195, 18.8.2006

COM 2003/30/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 8 May 2003 on the promotion of the use of biofuels or other renewable fuels for transport Official Journal L 123, 17/05/2003 P. 0042 - 0046

COM/2001/0547 final Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions on alternative fuels for road transportation and on a set of measures to promote the use of biofuels

COM(2001) 547 final: Communication of the European Commission of 07/11/2001 on an Action Plan and two Proposals for Directives to foster the use of Alternative Fuels for Transport, starting with the regulatory and fiscal promotion of biofuels

Directive 98/70/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 October 1998 relating to the quality of petrol and diesel fuels and amending Council Directive 93/12/EEC OJ L 350, 28.12.1998, p. 58–68

Commission Directive 87/441/EEC of 29 July 1987 on crude-oil savings through the use of substitute fuel components in petrol OJ L 238, 21.8.1987, p. 40–41

Vehicles

Opinion of the Committee of the Regions on the Proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on the promotion of clean road transport vehicles OJ C 229, 22.9.2006, p. 18–21

Directive 98/69/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 October 1998 relating to measures to be taken against air pollution by emissions from motor vehicles and amending Council Directive 70/220/EEC, OJ L 350, 28.12.1998, p. 1–57

Markets

Council Directive 2003/96/EC of 27 October 2003 restructuring the Community framework for the taxation of energy products and electricity (Text with EEA relevance) OJ L 283, 31.10.2003, p. 51–70

2003/238/EC: Commission Decision of 15 May 2002 on the aid scheme implemented by France applying a differentiated rate of excise duty to biofuels (notified under document number C(2002) 1866) Official Journal L 094 , 10/04/2003 P. 0001 - 0042

2002/550/EC: Council Decision of 27 June 2002 authorising the United Kingdom to apply a differentiated rate of excise duty to fuels containing biodiesel in accordance with Article 8(4) of Directive 92/81/EEC OJ L 180, 10.7.2002, p. 20–21

Commission Regulation (EC) No 2546/95 of 30 October 1995 amending Commission Regulation (EC) No 3199/93 on the mutual recognition of procedures for the complete denaturing of alcohol for the purposes of exemption from excise duty

OJ L 260, 31.10.1995, p. 45–46

Mapping and dissemination

Mapping of biofuels production and associated information

The BIOMAP is an initiative of DG ENER in an effort to facilitate the dissemination of results on biofuels of the European Commission's Framework Programmes (FP6 and FP7) as well as the Intelligent Energy Europe programme. A significant amount of data has been included covering industrial plants, biofuel quality standards, associations related to biofuels, EC policies, Member States policies, etc.