Ahead of European Parliament’s vote January 17 on the EU Commission proposal on the promotion of renewable energy sources (RES), Copa and Cogeca urged MEPs to go in the same direction as EU Ministers. "With at least 80 percent of new vehicles expected to have an internal combustion engine, the EU will rely on liquid fuels in transport beyond 2020," said Dietrich Klein, Copa and Cogeca Working Party Chairman.
The removal of crop-based biofuels that are certified as sustainable from the liquid fuel mix in 2030 would be unrealistic and would threaten the transition towards lower or zero emission vehicles. The only winners would be fossil fuels, which are less environmentally-friendly, Klein added.
The maximum share of crop-based biofuels must be calculated at EU level in order to provide the same flexibility to the Member States with the 7 percent cap as with the 27 percent EU RES target.
It is crucial that MEPs agree to raise the share of renewable energy sources including crop-based biofuels in the renewable energy mix in transport to a total of at least 15 percent when they vote on Mr Blanco Lopez’s draft report this week. We also need to maintain at 7 percent, until 2030, the maximum share for crop-based biofuels used in transport, as agreed by Ministers in their common position Klein added.
Copa and Cogeca also say that the estimated values for emissions linked to indirect land use change (ILUC) as well as multiple counting for advanced biofuels feedstock and renewable electricity “must be avoided”.
