The package lays down what the schemes must do to be recognised by the Commission. Member States are responsible for making sure that sustainability requirements are met by economic operators of biofuels and bioliquids.
The Commission’s package,-which consists of the following two communications and a draft decision-, sets out how Member States and economic operators can implement the sustainability criteria:
Communication of the Commission on voluntary schemes and default values in the EU biofuels and bioliquids sustainability scheme
Member States are responsible for ensuring that sustainability criteria for biofuels are met by economic operators. When meeting national targets of renewable energy use, only sustainable biofuels can be taken into account.
In order to reduce administrative burdens for economic operators of biofuels, the Commission sets-out how it intends to deal with the following two tools of sustainability schemes:
- Assessment and recognition of voluntary schemes and bilateral or multilateral agreements,
- Adding and updating of default values.
Sustainability schemes can be used by operators to prove that their biofuel or bioliquid meets sustainability criteria.
Communication of the practical implementation of the EU biofuels and bioliquids sustainability scheme and on counting rules for biofuels
The Communication lays down practicalities for the implementation of sustainability criteria and counting rules for biofuels. The Communication consists of obligations for member states (e.g. defining economic operators, independent auditing of the submitted information) as well as for economic operators (e.g. providing competent authorities with relevant information). Moreover, the document covers the definition of biofuels and bioliquids, as well as ‘agricultural and environmental requirements and standard for EU farmers’.
The Renewable Energy directive requires 35% of greenhouse gas emission saving from biofuels compared to petroleum and diesel.
The Communication consists of a methodology on how to calculate greenhouse gas emission savings. The calculation can be done either by using actual disaggregated or default values.
The Communication also aims to protect untouched nature, by explaining that biofuels cannot be made from raw materials, tropical forests, recently reforested areas, drained peatland, wetland or highly biodiverse areas. In complying with this objective the Communication lays down how these requirements should be assessed.
Decision on guidelines for the calculation of land carbon stocks
Throughout this decision the Commission proposed a detailed and binding methodology to calculate land carbon stocks. These guidelines will become legally binding after being adopted through the comitology procedure.
Land carbon stock is the quantity of carbon contained in areas of land. Depending on land-use changes, the land carbon stock situation can be changed. The decision provides a specific and detailed methodology to calculate land carbon stocks both for reference land use and actual land use. The decision also lays down rules for calculating soil organic carbon stocks, both for mineral and organic soils and rules for above and below ground vegetation carbon stocks.
Based on provisions of the Renewable Energy Directive, land carbon stocks and land use changes should be included in the calculations of greenhouse gas emission saving. These savings are important, because only those biofuels can be counted for national targets of Member States, which achieve 35% of greenhouse gas savings compared to petroleum and diesel.
Link: http://ec.europa.eu/energy/renewables/biofuels/sustainability_criteria_en.htm |
