Call for EU's "overly ambitious" biofuels target to be cut

Veteran Green MEP Claude Turmes has called for The European commission to reconsider its 10 per cent target for generating fuels from renewables
 
Turmes, parliament's rapporteur on the EU renewables directive, said a lower target - possibly 7-8 per cent - would be more "realistic".
 
Turmes was speaking on Tuesday at a breakfast briefing for journalists on his report which outlines parliament's response to the directive.
 
He said that while there was "broad support" in parliament for the directive, he believes there is also "overwhelming" evidence to reduce the mandatory 10 per cent target for fuels from renewables.
 
"The focus on fuels from biomass should be a qualitative rather than purely quantitative," he said.
 
"The 10 per cent target is too ambitious and the commission needs to consider a more realistic figure. It is too early to say what this figure might be but something of between 7-8 per cent has been suggested."
 
He also said the implementation of "ambitious and dynamic sustainability criteria" would make it "easier and cheaper" to achieve the commission's overall 20 per cent renewable energy target.
 
Turmes believes the current energy crisis can "trigger" new opportunities through the development of renewable technologies.
 
"The EU can be the leader of the third industrial revolution by getting this directive right and bringing renewables to the heart of the future energy strategy," he said.
 
Speaking at the same event, Swedish EPP-ED member Anders Wijkman, who is drafting an opinion on the directive for the environment committee, called for the commission's 20 per cent renewables target to be increased to 50 per cent by 2035-40.
 
He also said biofuels had a contribution to make in combating global warming but that this needs to be part of a combination of measures which might also include electric cars and hybrids.
 
Both MEPs also called on the commission to introduce a scheme to give member states a financial reward for meeting greenhouse gas emission targets and those which fail a financial penalty.
 
Turmes added, "The EU success story on renewable energies is reliant on only a small number of countries, such as Germany, Denmark and Sweden, that have introduced effective measures.
 
"The success of the new directive will depend on broadening these positive experiences to all EU countries."
 
In his report, Turmes also calls for a "coordinated approach to harvest the enormous off-shore wind and marine energy in the North and Baltic Sea.
 
It also recommends a "master plan" for large scale renovation of cities in central and Eastern Europe and a partnership with Mediterranean countries on energy efficiency, solar thermal electric and wind power plants.

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