European Parliament adopts new rules on biofuels

Proposals from both the Energy- and the Environment Committee were up for a vote, and the voting ended with the following result: 

• A 6 % ceiling on first generation biofuels.

• The 6 % ceiling contains a separate 7.5 % target for ethanol, which means that the Parliament officially recognizes ethanol as a sustainable alternative to gasoline, and at the same time also recognizes the difference between ethanol and biodiesel. 

• A 2.5 % sub-target for advanced biofuels.

• From 2020, productions are to include factors for indirect land-use change (ILUC). This means that productions with a low CO2 reduction capacity will be forced to invest in improving their facilities in order to make them more environmentally friendly.

The proposal is now being sent to the EU Council for approval.