PRESS RELEASE
COPA-COGECA URGES MEMBER STATES TO FULLY IMPLEMENT THE EU
RENEWABLE ENERGY DIRECTIVE TO BOOST BIOFUEL USE
Copa-Cogeca urged Member States to fully implement the EU Renewable Energy Directive which is designed to boost the use of biofuels in the EU and to ensure that biofuels produced and imported into the EU are environmentally sustainable.
This move comes as the EU Commission presented guidelines today on the implementation of sustainability criteria for biofuels. Speaking in Brussels, Copa-Cogeca Secretary-General Pekka Pesonen insisted “The case for using biofuels is strong. They are beneficial in terms of reducing oil dependency and greenhouse gas emissions and boosting employment in rural areas. EU biofuel demand is good and this trend is expected to continue. Biofuels will therefore do most of the work towards reaching the EU target designed to ensure that 10% of transport fuels come from renewable energy sources by 2020, as set out under the EU Renewable Energy Directive. I urge Member States to fully implement the Directive, respecting the sustainability criteria. If a Member State falls behind with the implementation of checks for sustainability criteria then farmers will face unacceptable distortions of competition on the
single market. This is due to the fact that agricultural raw materials will not be able to circulate freely between Member States if they are destined for biofuel production”.
“EU biofuels offer the best guarantee in terms of sustainability. EU farmers and their cooperatives accept stringent environmental constraints, however in return, they urge the EU Commission to ensure that imports meet the EU’s tough sustainability critieria”, he added.
The most widely used biofuels include bioethanol made from grain or sugar and biodiesel from oilseeds blended with fossil fuels. An increase in their use can provide additional sources of income for farmers.
For further information, please contact:
Amanda Cheesley Dominique Dejonckheere
Press Officer Senior Policy Advisor
Copa-Cogeca Copa-Cogeca
WWW.copa-cogeca.eu Mobile Tel: 0478 18 99 14
Tel. : + 32 (0)2 287 27 90
Mobile +32 (0) 474 84 08 36
Amanda.cheesley@copa-cogeca.eu