Promotion of biofuels in the EU
28.10.2020
Question for written answer E-005866/2020/rev.1
to the Commission
Rule 138
Maria Spyraki (PPE), Adam Jarubas (PPE), Jarosław Kalinowski (PPE)
In the biodiversity strategy for 2030, the Commission stated that the revised Renewable Energy Directive (‘RED II’) promotes ‘the shift to advanced biofuels based on residues and non-reusable and non-recyclable waste’. While the EU aims to be the first climate-neutral continent by 2050, the list of advanced biofuels in Annex IX, Part A, of RED II does not include, for example, biofuels produced from intermediate crops.
Feedstocks from climate-positive farming are produced within integrated cropping systems (e.g. cover crops) that aim to enhance soil carbon levels, thereby increasing the supply of protein and the total productivity of the land. By promoting the use of biofuels from climate-positive farming systems that do not compete with food crops and therefore do not risk triggering a need for additional land, the EU would give itself the means to achieve this ambitious aim.
- 1.How will the EU promote the shift to biofuels produced from climate-positive farming systems?
- 2.Is the Commission considering adding biofuels produced from climate-positive intermediate crops to Annex IX, Part A, of RED II, which will be revised by June 2021?
- 3.What is the allotted time for the presence of first-generation biofuels in the energy mix of Member States, and what has been envisaged regarding their quantity in the mixture of liquid fuels?