ePURE: EU rejects attempt to further limit sustainable biofuels
Summary
The European Parliament voted today to keep a limited but vital role for sustainable biofuels such as renewable ethanol in reducing greenhouse-gas emissions from EU transport. MEPs rejected amendments that would have placed further restrictions on European crop-based biofuels, which are already capped at a maximum of 7 percent of Member States’ road and rail energy and are subject to strict sustainability criteria. Additional restrictions would have made it harder for Member States to reach their decarbonisation objectives and opened the door to more imports of fossil fuel. “Everyone agrees on the need to move beyond fossil fuels, and renewable ethanol is a domestic EU solution that is immediate, cost-effective, sustainable and socially inclusive. As final negotiations between the European Commission, Parliament and Member States kick off, we will be working to ensure this role for sustainable biofuels is preserved.