Only biofuels that meet the EU's sustainability requirements can count towards the EU's renewable energy targets
Commission sets up system for certifying sustainable biofuels
The Commission decided today to encourage industry, governments and NGOs to set up sustainability certification schemes for all types of biofuels, including those imported into the EU, by adopting important explanatory communications on the sustainability scheme, and a decision on a carbon stock guideline which lay down what the schemes must do to be recognised by the Commission.
This will help implement the EU's requirements that biofuels must deliver substantial reductions in greenhouse gas emissions and should not come from forests, wetlands and nature protection areas.
The rules for certification schemes are part of a set of guidelines required by the Renewable Energy Directive to explain how the sustainability requirements should be implemented.
The JRC, through its Biofuels Task Force, provided significant input for the formulation of the communications, assisting for example the Commission in designing implementing measures and procedures for the calculation of GHG emissions of biofuel and bioliquids pathways.
Moreover, the methodology to calculate carbon stock changes and the related guidance have been developed entirely by the JRC, based on the comprehensive data layers on climate regions and soil type available at the JRC Institute for Environment and Sustainability.
The JRC Biofuels Task Force, which groups experts across the JRC, produces independent analyses that deal with the greenhouse gas issues of biofuel cultivation and production (including land use change effects, impacts on soils, forests, biodiversity, water etc), the contribution to the security of energy supply, and the potential impact on agricultural commodity markets and employment.
10/06/10