| Author (Corporate) | European Commission |
|---|---|
| Series Title | COM |
| Series Details | (2012) 595 final (17.10.12) |
| Publication Date | 17/10/2012 |
| Content Type | Policy-making |
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Directive 2009/28/EC on the promotion of the use of energy from renewable sources (the "Renewable Energy Directive") established mandatory targets to be achieved by 2020 for a 20% overall share of renewable energy in the EU and a 10% share for renewable energy in the transport sector. At the same time, an amendment to Directive 98/70/EC ("the Fuel Quality Directive") introduced a mandatory target to achieve by 2020 a 6% reduction in the greenhouse gas intensity of fuels used in road transport and non-road mobile machinery. The contribution of biofuels towards these targets is expected to be significant. Whilst both Directives include sustainability criteria including minimum greenhouse gas saving thresholds, the greenhouse gas emissions associated with changes in the carbon stock of land resulting from indirect changes in land use are not subject to reporting requirements under the current legislation. The Directives invited the Commission to review the impact of indirect land-use change on greenhouse gas emissions and, if appropriate, propose ways to minimise it whilst respecting existing investments made in biofuels production. Pursuant to this invitation, the Commission adopted a Communication on 22 December 2010 summarising the consultations and analytical work conducted on this topic since 2008. In this report, the Commission identified a number of uncertainties and limitations associated with the available numerical models used to quantify indirect land-use change, whilst acknowledging that indirect land-use change can reduce the greenhouse gas emissions savings associated with biofuels and bioliquids, and as such, recommended that this issue was to be addressed under a precautionary approach. Scientific work indicates that emissions from indirect land-use change can vary substantially between feedstocks and can negate some or all of the greenhouse gas savings of individual biofuels relative to the fossil fuels they replace. The aim of the current proposal is to start the transition to biofuels that deliver substantial greenhouse gas savings when also estimated indirect land-use change emissions are reported. The proposal also aims at protecting existing investments until 2020. |
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| Source Link | http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=COM:2012:0595:FIN:EN:PDF |
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| Subject Categories | Energy, Mobility and Transport |
| Countries / Regions | Europe |
