The EU’s support for sustainable biofuels in transport – An unclear route ahead

Summary:

As an alternative to fossil fuels, biofuels are intended to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the transport sector. We assessed whether the EU is supporting sustainable biofuels effectively and whether these fuels have helped the EU achieve its energy and climate targets. We found that the lack of a long-term perspective in EU biofuels policy has affected investment security, and that sustainability issues, biomass availability and costs are limiting the deployment of biofuels. Overall, despite EU support for research, the deployment of waste- and residue‑based biofuels has been slower than expected. We make a number of recommendations, including the need for a long-term strategic approach and improvements in data coherence.

• Alternative Source 1