ILUC vote and end of negotiations
The ILUC file passed the ENVI committee vote last week by 51 votes to 12.
The ILUC file passed the European Parliament’s ENVI committee vote on the 14th of April despite the fears that a coalition may vote to halt Indirect Land Use Change (ILUC) negotiations. The agreed text will be voted in the European Parliament’s plenary on the 29th of April, where it is widely expected to pass. After that, ILUC will be published in the official journal.
In practice this means that ILUC negotiations between the Council and the European Parliament are over as an agreement was found after nearly 3 years of negotiation. Despite of the restrictive nature of ILUC’s revision, many observers believe that it is better for the European biofuels industry to have a decision at EU level, what enables trade between countries and ensures a common European standard.
Even if the compromise is not perfect, the final version is more positive for the biomethane sector than previous positions. The three key points are the following:
- A cap of 7% on energy crops, out of the EU’s total transport consumption.
- Non-binding and single counted advanced biofuels target of 0,5%, where “grassy energy crops with a low starch content” such as ryegrass, switchgrass, miscanthus, giant cane, cover crops before and after main crops are included within the advanced category.
- ILUC factors will not be applied directly, but only be used for reporting purposes.
