Biofuels Policy and Legislation
Background Information and EU Policy >>
Recent Directives and Legislation >>
Background information and EU Policy
Relevant Policy Documents include:
Strategic Energy Technologies Information System (SETIS)
See also MEMO/09/437 – Questions and answers
EU Strategy for Biofuels (2006)
Emission performance standards for new cars
Climate Change: 2050 - the future begins today
Recent Directives and 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.
Renewable Energy Directive 2009/28/EC
Emission performance standards for new passenger cars
- EC
procedure started 13 June 2008 on initiative of
European Biodiesel Board - Background: subsidies for B99 in the US
- Anti dumping and countervailing
duties approved
on 11 Mar 2009 and published 12 Mar 2009 (EC 193
and 194/2009), differentiated by producer - Anti dumping duty 23.6-208.2 €/t
- Countervailing duty 211.2-237.0 €/t
Renewable Energy Directive 2009/28/EC
- Approval by European Parliament on 17 Dec 2008
- By 2020, 20 % share of RES in final energy consumption, 20 % increase in energy efficiency
- 10 % target for RES in transport in each Member State
- National Renewable Energy Action Plans required by June 2010
- Burden sharing for RES targets except transport
- Harmonised approach with Fuel Quality Directive
- No biofuels from carbon rich or biodiverse land
- EC has to report on compliance with environmental and social sustainability criteria of major biofuel exporting countries
- Minimum GHG reduction for biofuels 35 % and 50 % from 2017 on; 60 % for new installations from 2017 on. For plants operating in Jan 2008 GHG requirement will start in Apr 2013
- Bonus of 29 g CO2/MJ for biofuels from degraded/contaminated land
- EC proposal for incorporating indirect land use changes by the end of 2010; special clauses for plants built before 2013
- Biofuels from waste, residues, non food cellulosic material, and lignocellulosic material will count twice for RES transport target
- Mass balance approach for certification of sustainability
- EC will negotiate bilateral and multilateral agreements
- Establishment
of a committee for sustainability of biofuels
DIRECTIVE 2009/30/EC - amendment to Directive 98/70/EC on environmental quality standards for fuel (Fuel Quality Directive)
The amendement to the Fuel Quality Directive aims at:
- further tightening environmental quality standards for a number of fuel parameters,
- enabling more widespread use of ethanol in petrol and
- introducing a mechanism for reporting and reduction of the life cycle greenhouse gas emissions from fuel
- Reduction in life cycle GHG emissions from energy supplied. Binding target of 6% as first step while leaving open the possibility for increasing the future level of ambition to 10%.
- To that effect, in a 2012 review, the Commission will need to assess a further increase of the ambition level of 2% from other technological advances, such as the supply of electricity for use in transport. A further 2% is envisaged to be achieved by the use of CDM credits for flaring reductions not linked to EU oil consumption.
- Incorporation of sustainability criteria for biofuels used to meet GHG reduction requirement. Creation of specific Committee jointly with the RED to coordinate the energy and environment aspects in future development of biofuel sustainability criteria.
- Reduction of sulphur content of inland waterway fuel in one step to 10ppm by 1 January 2011.
- Phasing in of 10% Ethanol (E10) petrol: To avoid potential damage to old cars, continued marketing of petrol containing maximum 5% ethanol guaranteed until 2013, with the possibility of an extension to that date if needed.
- Derogations for petrol vapour pressure for cold summer conditions and blending in of ethanol are subject to Commission approval following an assessment of the socio-economic and environmental impacts, in particular on air quality.
- Increase of allowed biodiesel content in diesel to 7% (B7) by volume, with an option for more than 7% with consumer info.
Emission performance standards for new passenger cars
- 130 g/120 g CO2/km limit for new cars in 2012 (10 g by additional measures)
- Limit of 95 g CO2/km in 2020
- Step by step approach; bonus for eco innovations
- 5 % bonus for E85 cars
until Dec 2015 if sustainable E85 is available at least at 30 % of all
filling stations of the Member State where the car is registered
Existing Legislation
Some existing legislative and related documents are listed below. The entries are divided into the following sections:
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 ("Biofuels Directive") 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
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
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