European Parliament’s ENVI committee votes to exclude primary woody biofuels and limit crop-based biofuels

In Belgium, late on May 16, the European Parliament’s environment committee voted on the revision of the Renewable Energy Directive (RED), including limiting subsidies to burning forests biomass and crop-based biofuels. 

Forests biomass: with a 45 to 36 majority the committee voted in favor of amendment CA9, recommending that primary woody biomass should no longer be subsidized and should largely be excluded from counting towards renewable energy targets

Crop-based biofuels: the ENVI committee also voted in favor of amendment CA7 which limits crop-based biofuels to no more than half the share of the overall biofuel use in transport and specifies biofuels from palm oil and soy to be phased by 2023.