EU biofuel proposals risk discriminating against firms from outside the bloc: EcoCeres

In January, the European Biodiesel Board (EBB), which represents 34 firms that produce 75 per cent of Europe’s output of the cleaner-burning alternative to fossil diesel, published proposals that it said would improve the EU’s system for quality verification.

The proposals included annual on-site audits and called on the EU to impose effective sanctions, including retroactive invalidations of certificates, to compel all players in the space to exercise due diligence.

For biofuel that is imported into the EU, the board recommended mandatory content tests to determine sustainability, with results logged in an EU database.

EcoCeres CEO Matti Lievonen said the content tests for imports could be discriminatory against outside firms.

“There should not be a battle between EU and non-EU producers,” he said. “The focus of any reform should be on ensuring a level playing field.”