Strasbourg, 17 January 2018

Today’s European Parliament plenary vote on the post-2020 EU Renewable Energy Directive (RED II) rebalanced an initially negative ENVI Committee report, and represents a step in the right direction for the ITRE Rapporteur to negotiate with the Commission and Council in the upcoming trialogue negotiations.

The EU Biodiesel Chain underlines the fact that, as in the Council position, the Parliament decided not to reopen the ILUC debate, which was settled in 2015. The Parliament’s vote on a 12% renewables binding target is also a step in the right direction, although not matching the 14% target agreed by the Council.

Additionally, the Parliament decision to limit the contribution of crop-based biofuels to current consumption levels in each Member State does not recognise their key role in the decarbonisation of the EU energy mix. This approach does not support the EU agriculture & protein sectors nor respond to COP21 climate ambitions. Going forward into trialogues, maintaining the 7% share for crop-based biofuels and including them in the incorporation obligation is therefore vital.

On behalf of the EU Biodiesel Chain, Mr. Garofalo, EBB Secretary General, stated: “Today’s Parliament position recognises that the ILUC debate is over. Now, in the trialogue negotiations we expect a realistic and fact-based discussion to raise further the EU decarbonisation ambitions in the transport sector and secure a role for the EU biodiesel industry. A clear mandate for operators including a 7% crop based biofuels - as proposed by the Council - is a necessity in this sense”.

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The EU Biodiesel Chain includes: FEDIOL is the European Association representing the vegetable oils and protein meal industry. The sector covers more than 180 facilities belonging to 35 companies in 17 countries and employs directly 20,000 people. Its members process oilseeds, refine and bottle vegetable oils.

The European Biodiesel Board (EBB) is a non-profit organisation established in 1997. Today, EBB gathers close to 70 members across 21 Member-States, which represents 75% of the European output. Biodiesel is the main European solution to reduce emissions from transport and dependence on imported oil. EBB aims to promote the use of biodiesel in the European Union and is committed to fulfil International standards for sustainability in GHG emissions and sustainable feedstock. EBB is constantly working towards the development of improved and greener technologies.

The European Oilseed Alliance (EOA) brings together the oilseed organizations of the major European producing countries (Germany France, United Kingdom, Poland, Czech Republic, Finland, Belgium, Sweden) EOA members represents 90 % of EU oilseed production - EOA works in association with the European organizations representing the oilseed supply chain, producers, processors, and seed breeders: Copa-Cogeca, FEDIOL, EBB, ESA.