EU Must Keep Benefits of Sustainable Biofuels in Sight

These are still uncertain times for the European ethanol industry. Discussions in the EU are well underway to revise the current EU biofuels policy, which expires in 2020, and the EU has not indicated what type of biofuel rules, if any, will exist after 2020. This policy uncertainty is the biggest challenge facing European ethanol producers. The current framework, introduced in 2009, heavily influences and governs the ethanol market in Europe. In 2012, just three years after EU policy support was confirmed for biofuels, however, the European Commission introduced a major U-turn by proposing to cap the use of conventional biofuels at current consumption levels.