Page 37 - Biofuels for a More Sustainable Future

Biofuel transitions 31

Specific support schemes introduced at country level vary by different
member states. Dominant support is provided through the introduction
of obligatory quotas of biofuels in total amount of sold fuels, imposed on
fuels manufacturers, distributors, and sellers (e.g., Austria, Belgium, Czech
Republic, Hungary, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Great Britain, France,
Italy, Poland). Alternative schemes include subsidies to production of raw
materials and biofuels (e.g., Austria, Estonia, Greece, Lithuania), and tax
reduction or exemptions on biofuels (e.g., Austria, Belgium, Czech Repub-
3
lic, Greece, Finland, Hungary, Netherlands).

4.1.3 Standards of biofuels
The RED Directive, taking into account the problematic character of bio-
fuels and other bioliquids, laid down five “sustainability criteria.” Fulfillment
of these criteria is necessary for biofuels to be credited toward national targets
and received financial support.
First, the greenhouse gases emission reduction should reach at least 60%
for installations started operating after 5 October 2015. The installations
started on or before 5 October should reach 35% reduction until 31 Decem-
ber 2017 and 50% from 1 January 2018 (for comparison, the general reduc-
4
tion goal for traditional fuels is 10% in 2020 ). The biofuels and bioliquids
produced from waste and residues, other than agricultural, aquaculture, fish-
eries, and forestry residues have to fulfill only this criterion.
Second, the biofuels or bioliquids should not be produced from materials
obtained from land with high biodiversity value. The Directive defined such
lands by enumeration included, for example, primary forests, areas desig-
nated for nature, ecosystems or rare species protection, and highly diverse
grasslands. However, the production from designated areas is allowed if evi-
dence that such activities do not interfere with protection purposes is pro-
vided. Similarly, for nonnatural biodiverse grassland evidence that
harvesting of raw material is necessary to preserve their status should be pro-
vided. Moreover, it is important to stress that status of the land is taken into
account in January 2008 or after this date, whether or not the land will still
have this status in the future. It seems that such regulations should prevent

3 RES Legal, http://www.res-legal.eu/ (accessed 16 September 2018).
4
Article 7a, paragraph 2 of Directive 98/70/EC of the European Parliament and of the
Council of 13 October 1998 relating to the quality of petrol and diesel fuels and amending
Council Directive 93/12/EEC, Consolidated version from 2015, EUR Lex, https://eur-
lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?qid¼1537450042687&
uri¼CELEX:01998L0070-20151005 (accessed 20 September 2018).