Bioenergy

While the energy committee of the European Parliament delivered a one-sided message toward the development of bioenergy (during the public hearing on Biomass organized on 1st June in the EP), the NGO community was more critical. Competition for food and land, biodiversity, soil and water pollution, trade constraints, social threats and opportunities were some of the many questions raised by the NGO community dealing with development, environment and transport.

Environment Commissioner Dimas delivered an excellent speech at the conference on "A sustainable path for biofuels in the EU" organized by the NGOs EEB, T&E and BirdLife on 7 June. The Greens/EFA in the European Parliament fully support the views expressed in his statement, especially the following quotes:

"The only long-term sustainable solutions to the energy challenge are to achieve dramatic, indispensable improvements in energy efficiency and, at the same time, to expand renewable energy sources" and that "There must be a full analysis of transport energy needs before we adopt more ambitious targets for bio-fuels"

Meanwhile the European Environment Agency (EEA) published a new report on bioenergy in the EU.
It concludes that in principle Europe can produce enough biomass to meet ambitious bioenergy targets but also stesses that unless the correct incentives and safeguards are in place to mobilise the potential in an environmentally-friendly way, even a significantly lower exploitation of the biomass resource than projected could lead to increased environmental pressures.

For further information go to:

EEA report on bioenergy

NGO press release on sustainable biofuels

Dimas' speech at the NGO conference

Council's conclusion on Biomass (pdf)