New Rules have been published in the Official Journal by the European Commission establishing a methodology for determining the share of biofuels and biogas for transport which are produced from biomass which are processed in a common process with fossil fuels.
On 10 August, the UK Government published its Biomass Strategy 2023, which sets out the role sustainable biomass can play in reaching net zero, what the government is doing to enable that objective, and where further action is needed. Among others, the Strategy reaffirms the UK Government’s support and commitment to BECCS as a critical component for reaching net zero.
The EU Bioenergy Days launched on 1 August, but we are still open for contributions to the upcoming Member States! This year, we are collecting success stories under the theme “Getting rid of fossil fuels” to feature the diverse use of bioenergy at an individual, residential, local, or national level. We need you to share stories on the significance of our sector for energy security and independence from fossil fuels. Please send your success story (text around 500 words + pictures; optional: video material, factsheets, etc.) to Clara Puig De Torres-Solanot.
The European Parliament is expected to discuss and vote on the provisional agreement on the revision of the Energy Efficiency Directive during the 10-13 July plenary session, in conjunction with the adoption of the draft report on the Industrial Emissions Directive. For more information, please contact Irene di Padua.
against in the ENVI committee – meaning that there was no majority in favour of the text. Having failed to adopt a report, the ENVI Committee will table a motion to reject the Commission proposal. It is very uncertain if the law will survive the plenary vote (likely scheduled for 11-13 July). For more information, please contact Daniel Reinemann.
The IFRS Foundation, well known for its IFRS Accounting Standards, has just released the first of its Sustainability Reporting Standards. It seeks to establish a global baseline for sustainability disclosures to further inform economic and investment decisions. The standard is available after signing up with a free account.
The Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi) has launched a new public consultation for their upcoming Beyond Value Chain Mitigation guidance. This guidance will focus on “action to mitigate emissions outside company value chains, such as purchasing high-quality, jurisdictional REDD+ credits or investing in direct air capture”. The public consultation includes a survey and is open until 30 July.
The Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE) Committee published its Draft Report on the Proposal for a regulation to improve the Union’s electricity market design. According to the publicly available agenda, amendments to the Proposal to reform the Electricity Market Design rules (EMD) can be tabled until 7 July. The vote will be held on 19 July in the ITRE Committee, and on 11 September in Plenary. The latter will then launch the trilogue phase. For more information, please contact Ennio Prizzi.
Our Weekly News last week specified an expected vote in the Council Preparatory body, COREPER, scheduled for 17 May and an ITRE Committee vote in the European Parliament for 23 May. However, both of these votes were cancelled last minute due to concerns surrounding the rules for the treatment of hydrogen as produced from nuclear energy. At present, this does not appear to threaten the deal on bioenergy or the overall agreement. For more information, please contact Daniel Reinemann.
On 11 May, a working group of EU countries met to discuss the minimum tax rates that should be enshrined in the new ETD, the first meeting of its kind since the reform was launched almost two years ago. Establishing a consensus on minimum tax rates is proving difficult. The Swedes, who hold the EU’s rotating presidency until July, have no real hope of finding an agreement on the ETD during their six-month stint. Hence, the file will be handed over to the Spanish presidency. Spain declined to comment on the record. But their successor, Belgium, expects having to deal with ETD negotiations in 2024.
