ePure says Parliament industry committee vote sets the stage for clash between EU member states

In Belgium, ePure says the vote Tuesday by the European Parliament’s Industry, Research and Energy Committee sets the stage for a real clash with EU Member States over how to decarbonise transport.

Nearly everybody agrees the European Commission’s Renewable Energy Directive II proposal – which has low ambitions for renewables in transport and would phase out good biofuels like EU ethanol along with bad ones like palm oil – needs work. But the cryptic statement made today by the lead Committee on the file does not offer enough of an upgrade. 

The push by MEPs to reinstate a 2030 renewables in transport target increased at 12%, together with the endorsement of an advanced biofuels sub-target, are a step in the right direction. But at the same time they would not allow Member States to use all sustainable renewable fuels like EU ethanol in their energy mix. As part of a complex architecture setting another 10% obligation for fuel suppliers to blend in low-emission fuels, MEPs voted to prevent Member States from using crop-based ethanol – which delivers 66% average greenhouse-gas reduction compared to fossil petrol. In doing so they reduced its contribution even further than what the Commission initially proposed, putting into question the achievability of the objectives without artificial multipliers.