Low-emission mobility beyond 2020 will still need conventional biofuels

Europe should further invest in more advanced fuel technologies in the transport sector, but this should go hand in hand with maintaining existing policies and assets on conventional biofuels.” – FEDIOL’s President Henri Rieux commented, following the publication of the Commission Communication for “A European Strategy for Low-emission mobility”. With the current ILUC Directive already setting a 7% cap on the contribution of conventional biofuels to the 10% renewable energy target, further restrictive measures aiming at a sudden crop-based biofuels divestment after 2020 would be counterproductive for the full deployment of advanced biofuels, since the perceived uncertainty would restrain investments in the advanced sector as well, thus seriously jeopardising the achievement of EU transport decarbonisation targets. “Conventional biofuels” – Director General Nathalie Lecocq added – “are the only sizeable and market-established solution for sectors such as heavy commercial vehicles and aviation. Moreover, they have helped increase farmers’ income and contributed to rural employment.” 

A “phase out” objective by 2030 would only entail devastating effects on the whole biofuel supply chain and on the upstream agricultural sector in particular, since it would deprive European agriculture of a fundamental outlet, thus considerably affecting our industry and putting hundreds of thousands of jobs at risk. Also, this would not reduce EU’s dependence on imported vegetable oils, as different oils would still be needed to complement a variety of specific uses. European biofuels have proven to be complementary to food production and to play an important role for EU agriculture and energy independence. A recent study recognised that concerns over food supply insecurity as a result of cultivation of biofuels feedstock are largely misplaced, and concluded that well-designed biofuels usage programmes can simultaneously improve food security in countries with populations at risk of under nourishment and in more developed economies. 1 For these reasons, FEDIOL calls on the European Commission to reconsider its position in view of the forthcoming publication of the 2030 Renewable Energy Package and assess the fundamental contribution provided by crop-based biofuels towards the achievement of EU decarbonisation targets in the transport sector by 2020 and beyond.