peaking after his election, Mr Bachler from the Austrian Chamber of Agriculture (LKÖ) said “Biofuels have multiple advantages in terms of decarbonizing the transport sector and reducing our dependence on imports. The co-product is also an important source of protein in feed which help EU livestock farmers to be more resilient on imports. A key priority for me during my two year mandate will consequently be to have an ambitious, stable long-term policy for biofuels to maximize the potential of biofuels, with a higher share of agriculture and forest biomass in heating and cooling”.
“To achieve this, the EU needs to have a binding blending obligation on fuel suppliers of at least 14%, without technological restrictions, in the EU’s renewable energy Directive which is currently being negotiated. The EU also needs to maintain at 7 % until 2030 the maximum share for crop-based biofuels used and countable for transport energy goals”, added Bachler.
Finally, real targets for renewables in the future EU Directive are vital, not a policy that uses artificial multipliers to give a misleading impression of the true environmental impact of tools. This will only benefit fossil fuels. The contribution of palm oil and its derivatives to the EU’s climate and environmental objectives should also not be included in the EU targets as long as there is no solution to the sustainability problems such as deforestation in the country of origin. Priority must be given to biofuels produced from EU feedstocks which generate co-products rich in plant protein and animal feeds.
“EU Crop-based biofuels post 2020 are crucial in order to meet the EU’s ambitious climate and energy targets and to ensure an environmental-friendly transport sector and flourishing rural areas”, he stressed.
Mr Bachler from Austria is also chairman of the Austrian standardization committee K 266 on sustainable production of renewable energy feedstocks and bio-based products which is mirroring CEN TC 383 and CEN TC 411. He will be supported by two Vice Presidents Ms Astrid Rewerts from Germany (Deutscher Bauernverband e.V ) and Mr Claude Soudé from France (Federation of Oilseed Producers).
