Today in the European Parliament, the Socialists and Democrats Group backed a review of existing legislation on biofuels, even though the outcome of the final agreement falls short of the S&Ds' expectations.
The legislation passed today will help reduce CO2 emissions from transport and also curb the undesired effects induced by indirect land use change (ILUC) caused by biofuels, such as land use for speculation and higher food prices. It sets a cap on conventional biofuels (land-based biofuels) at 7% of all fuels used for transport, rather than 5%, which was an S&D demand.
S&D spokesperson on this issue, Seb Dance MEP, said:
"It has been a very tough negotiation with member states, which were highly influenced by lobbies.
"However, we have managed to introduce waste hierarchy as an element to take into account when we look into the next generation of biofuels. In addition, we have managed to make sure that indigenous land rights are taken into consideration, as requested by the S&D Group, and we ensured that there will be a review in five years. We have to move towards advanced biofuels with the proper regulation both for the environment and for the stability of investments and jobs."
S&D spokesperson on climate, environment and food safety, Matthias Groote, said:
"This legislation will improve the current status, but is in no way satisfactory. We managed to introduce a review clause, and we intend to come back with our proposals for a more efficient and ethical use of biofuels.
"We were able to bring legal certainty to the sector, needed for innovative investments in biofuels. There are already investments for research and development underway for biofuels produced from waste or residues rather than food crops."
