Fixing a missed opportunity: How the EU can improve the revision of CO2 standards for cars and vans
ePURE – the European Renewable Ethanol Association – represents bioethanol producers from crops, wastes and residues all committed to sustainable transition towards zero-emission mobility. Renewable ethanol is a certified, sustainable fuel that significantly reduces greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions compared to fossil oil and is recognised by EU policy as an accelerator of decarbonisation of road transport.
The Commission’s proposal on the CO₂ standards review is a missed opportunity and creates inconsistency. Despite earlier statements made by Climate Commissioner Wopke Hoekstra acknowledging the role of crop-based biofuels, the proposal recognises only e-fuels and advanced biofuels after 2035, arbitrarily excluding sustainable crop-based biofuels and ignoring a proven decarbonisation pathway. The revision of the CO₂ regulation for cars and vans takes an inconsistent approach: the 2035 target is measured using a tailpipe-based methodology for 90% of compliance, while the remaining 10%—which can be met through renewable fuels (3%) and low-carbon steel (7%) —is assessed using a lifecycle approach.
A genuinely technology-neutral approach cannot disregard sustainable solutions already deployed at scale across the EU. The restrictive treatment of some biofuels prevents true technology neutrality from being fully reflected in the regulation. This misalignment with the Renewable Energy Directive (EU) 2018/2001 (RED) framework and the EU’s broader decarbonisation strategies risks sidelining an industrial sector that supports farmers and rural economic revenues with proven, immediately available low-carbon solutions.
