Press Release: Biofuels: European Commission launches infringement procedures against Italy and Greece

The European Commission on 28 June 2006 decided to send a reasoned opinion (the second step of an infringement procedure) to Italy for failure to provide adequate reasons for setting a biofuel target considerably lower than the 2% reference value for 2005 laid down by the biofuels directive. The Commission also decided to initiate Court proceedings against Italy and send a reasoned opinion to Greece, as the two countries had not submitted the annual report on biofuel use that was due on 1 July 2005.