The European Union has a relative short history of biofuels policy,
whose course has been dramatically changed on 17 December
2008.
It all started in 2003 with the first
Biofuel
Directive (Directive
2003/30/EC), which set indicative targets to promote the use
of renewable fuels in the transport sector. The target was set
at 2% by energy content for 2005, and at 5.75% for 2010. Every
year the EU Member States must submit their
national
reports to the European Commission in which they indicate how far they
have progressed in achieving their targets.
The chart below shows
that the EU biofuels policy up to date is not exactly a success
story: Only 3 out of 25 member States (Germany, Austria and Sweden)
reached the 2005 target. If biofuel promotion and use continues
at this speed it is very unlikely that the majority of member
state will fulfill the 2010 target.
Despite the dissatisfactory track record of most of the member
states the EU heads of state emphasised the important role of
biofuels in reducing emissions from the road transport sector
and in increasing security of energy supply. During the 2007
Spring Council the political agreement of a 10% binding target
for renewable energy in transport has been struck as part of
an overall 20% renewable energy target by 2020. On 23 January
2008 the European Commission put forward an ambitious package
of proposals to drive the EU’s fight against climate change
and promote renewable energy up to 2020 and beyond. Within this
Climate
and Energy Package, the Commission published the draft
of a Renewable Energy Directive, which translated the political
will into a legislative proposal. On 17 December 2008 the European
Parliament and Council found an agreement on the Climate and
Energy Package. As a result,
the
Renewable Energy Directive (Directive
2009/28) entered into force on 25 June 2009 and is going be transposed
to the national legislation of the EU 27 by 5 December 2010.
The Renewable Energy Directive will shape the future biofuel
policies of the EU Member States. Its core elements are the 10%
binding target for renewables in transport and the introduction
of a comprehensive and unparalleled set of sustainability criteria
that biofuels need to fulfill to be counted towards the target.
The Renewable Energy Directive was discussed within a legislative
package also containing the Fuel Quality Directive (Directive
2009/30). This Directive sets technical specifications for fuels,
together with a target for the reduction of life cycle greenhouse
gas emissions. Entered into force on 25 June 2009, the
Fuel
Quality Directive will be transposed into national legislation by 31
December 2010 at the latest.
