Groups Reacts Against EU Biofuels Policy Proposal

In the European Union (EU), some organizations have expressed their opposition and negative reaction to the European Commission's proposal that seeks to cap the use of biofuels from food crops at 5 percent of transport sector energy to mitigate the impacts of indirect land use change (ILUC).

The associations from Spain, Italy, Poland, the UK and Germany have signed a joint statement refusing the EU's ILUC proposal. They say that while they support policies to reduce the biofuels' negative impacts, they think that the Commission's ILUC proposal is based on very uncertain science triggered by non-factual fuel versus food debate. They say that the proposal ignores the positive impacts of first generation biofuels and puts the second generation biofuels at risk. In Sweden, the Sweden Environmental Institute also expressed its reaction against the Commission's "fiddling" biofuels targets which it deems as anti-development.

The ILUC which refers to the unintended impacts of clearing land and cultivating crops destined for biofuel production on climate or food price volatility, has become a dividing issue across the EU. Battle lines have been drawn among member states regarding the ILUC mitigation proposal.

In 2009, the EU Renewable Energy Directive required 10 percent of the EU's transport energy to come from renewable sources including but not limited to biofuels. A twist took place in October 2012 when the European Commission proposed to cap the use of biofuels from 'food crops' at 5 percent. The idea is that second and third generation biofuels from switch-grass, trees and algae will fill the gap.