Publications - European Commission Promoting biofuels in Europe

Contacts
Website: ec.europa.eu/energy/res/publications/index_en.htm




To find similar Items, click on a keyword below:
Publications : Liquid Biofuels and Biogas



This 16 page full colour brochure (125Kb PDF) (ISBN 92-894-66671-5) introduces the EU Biofuels Directive aimed at providing cleaner transport. It was published by the European Commission, Directorate-General for Energy and Transport (TREN) in December 2004.

It explains the EU directive on the promotion of biofuels or other renewable fuels for transport. The current types of biofuels are summarised and the directive is set in the wider context of European and international commitments and objectives on security of energy supply, greenhouse gas emissions and renewable energy sources. The development of biofuels so far, within Europe and the world, is described. The directive's targets for biofuel substitution for conventional fuels are presented and the possible support measures, including fiscal exemptions and setting technical standards are summarised, as are the reporting requirements from the Members States. As the brochure explains:

The basis for the biofuels directive is the promotion of biofuels across Europe. As it is a horizontal issue, it has impacts across many policy areas and is dependent on individual national contexts such as agriculture, fiscal policy and renewable energy priorities. It is for this reason that the directive provides an overall target and a framework for action - rather than imposing specific actions. European policy on biofuels will continue to develop as lessons are drawn from Member States' experiences, which they will provide to the Commission through their regular reports. Policy development is seen already in the recent decision of the EU to allow a EUR 45 per hectare support for energy crops under the common agricultural policy, in addition to the existing possibility of energy crop production on set-aside land. For the future, new crops may be favoured needing policy support; cost effective lignocellulose conversion techniques may bring new opportunities; biofuels may drive new land-use patterns that demand policy changes. At all stages, the involvement of stakeholders such as biofuel producers, fuel supply companies, vehicle manufacturers, public authorities and consumer representatives is vital. The Commission will continue to keep these questions under review as it develops.

The contents are as follows:

• What are biofuels?
• Biofuels - the journey so far
• The EU Directive on biofuels - what it says and what it does
  Setting realistic targets
  Taking appropriate measures
  Taxing matters
  Monitoring progress towards the 2010 target
  Winning consumer acceptance
  In the longer term
• Steering future policy developments

Contacts

Contact

• Office for the Official Publications of the European Communities (OOPEC) / LUXEMBOURG