In Argentina, the Clarin newspaper reports that the trade deal agreed between the four Mercosur countries and the European Union last week maintains the 1 billion liters of additional ethanol market access discussed in earlier offers, specifically 450,000 metric tons of duty-free ethanol from chemical use beginning as soon as the deal comes into effect […]
In Malaysia, as the country looks to pull out all the stops to keep the European Union from blocking the use of palm oil for biodiesel due to alleged high indirect land use risk, it is now looking to hit Europe where it hurts—with fighter jets. Not the use of them, but the purchase of […]
In Indonesia, Ambassador of the EU to Indonesia Vincent Guérend said in a statement on Friday that no specific biofuel or feedstock is targeted, all vegetable oils are treated equally, and palm oil is not identified as a bad biofuel, according to Antara News. “Biofuels are an important element of the EU’s renewable energy policy. […]
In Malaysia, the Bernama news agency reports that the country’s palm oil council says the European Union’s sustainability criteria for biofuels banning the oil’s use due to allegedly high indirect land use change impacts should be suspended until the ILUC rule can be proven to be scientifically-based and non-discriminatory. In response to the EU’s rule […]
In Malaysia, over the weekend, the government threatened to challenge the European Union via the World Trade Organization if the EU continues to phase out palm oil from transportation fuel. Malaysia’s foreign ministry responded to the EU’s plan to phase out palm oil that was published on Wednesday as a “calculated political act” aimed at […]
In Argentina, Reuters reports that the European Commission has at last come to an agreement with the Argentine government that will allow biodiesel exports to resume, with prices and volume limits to be announced next month. Those producers who agree to a set minimum price won’t have to pay anti-dumping duties on their biodiesel exports […]
In Belgium, a new Joint Research Center study details the potential of bio-based chemicals in EU markets, and estimates their annual growth rate at about 3.6% per year from 2018 to 2025. In their report, the scientists describe 10 key bio-based chemical product categories, their market production and consumption levels for the EU, their level […]
In Malaysia, Bernama news agency reports that the trade association representing small oil palm farmers is calling on the European Union to reconsider its ban on using palm oil in biodiesel from 2030 saying the ban is invalid and unjustified because of the efforts put into ensuring the sustainability of palm oil. It says the […]
In Belgium, the EU has updated its Bioeconomy Strategy. The updated plan signals the EU’s continued commitment towards establishing itself as a world leader in renewable resource efficiency, catalysed by transformative industrial biotechnology. Europe’s leadership in this field has already significantly boosted activity, investment, technological breakthrough and interest in developing dynamic bioeconomies throughout the Member […]
In Germany, UFOP reports that although the sunflower area has remained constant in the EU-28, the EU Commission anticipates a sharp drop in sunflowerseed production. Yields, especially in Romania and France, could be disappointing. According to figures just published by the EU Commission, the 2018 EU-28 sunflower area of 4.2 million hectares has remained virtually […]
