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Agrifuels
Food giants shoot for 100% renewable energy target
Est. 7minUnilever and Mars were among the first household names in the food and drink industry to announce plans for a 100% shift to renewable energy.
Parliament rubber stamps EU biofuels reform amid final controversy
Est. 4minThe European Parliament gave its final approval on Tuesday (28 April) to a law limiting the use of crop-based biofuel in the transport sector.
MEPs retaliate against EU countries on biofuels draft law
Est. 4minThe European Parliament has resisted pressure from member states to water down the draft law on biofuels after five-hour long negotiations yesterday afternoon (25 March).
EU countries dilute draft law capping food-based biofuels
Est. 4minThe European Parliament is losing the battle on limiting the use of food-based biofuels, after it made major concessions to member states following negotiations with the Council, according to a leaked document seen by EURACTIV.
More biofuels with low environmental impact possible, scientists say
Est. 3minEU countries could increase their production of biofuels with a minimum impact on the environment, Utrecht University scientists concluded in a study published on Tuesday (13 January).
![[Lars_Plougmann_Flickr]](https://www.euractiv.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2014/11/sugar_beet_denmark_church_creditlars_plougmann_flickr.jpeg)
France champions bioethanol industry in Europe
Est. 4minThe French bioethanol industry is leading the campaign to raise the proportion of biofuel in Europe’s transport fuel mix to 15%, while the European Commission continues to hold the sector on a short leash. EURACTIV France reports.
Report: EU underestimates biofuels’ greenhouse gas savings by 50%
Est. 3minThe European Union has underestimated the greenhouse gas emissions savings offered by biofuels by as much as 50%, according to a report published today.
Clear skies for aviation industry, turbulence ahead for EU airlines
Est. 6minThe business outlook for civil aviation is looking bright thanks mainly to rising Asian demand for aircraft. But airlines are expected to have a harder time, with tougher competition in Europe leading to a consolidation of the sector, according to the latest industry forecast.
How the Commission ‘blocked’ key environmental plans
Est. 7minEXCLUSIVE / Plans to crack down on endocrine disruptors and illegal timber being imported into the EU, were buried by the outgoing President of the European Commission, José Manuel Barroso, and his secretary-general Catherine Day, according to a senior EU source.
Biofuels debate continues, despite EU agreement
Est. 4minThe debate over biofuels risks dragging on, despite EU energy ministers reaching an agreement on the controversial crop-based fuels last week.
![Bearded wheat in Thésée, Loir-et-Cher, in France. [Sybarite48/Fotopedia].](https://www.euractiv.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2014/05/wheat_bearded._thesee-la-romaine_loir-et-cher._sybarite48.jpeg)
EU diplomats agree to 7% biofuels cap
Est. 3minEU ambassadors have agreed to a 7% cap on biofuels made from food crops in transport fuel, in a move environmentalists say is a “timid step” in the right direction.
Bioenergy push needs land ‘three times the size of the UK’
Est. 6minA planned doubling in Europe’s use of crops and wood for fuel, transport and heating by 2030 will leave a 70.2 million hectares (Mha) land footprint, equivalent to the combined size of Poland and Sweden, according to a new report by the Vienna University.
EU scientists’ biofuels warnings were ignored
Est. 5minEXCLUSIVE / The European Commission ignored an internal recommendation from its own scientists for mandatory carbon accounts and crop-specific measurements in a proposal to address the Indirect Land Use Change (ILUC) from biofuels production.
EU governments fail to agree limits on food-based biofuels
Est. 4minEnergy ministers from the 28 EU member states failed on Thursday (12 December) to agree on a compromise deal to limit the use of transport fuels made from food crops, which critics say pushes up food prices and can do more harm than good to the environment.
Lithuania mounts rescue bid for first generation biofuels
Est. 5minA planned cap on first generation biofuels use for 2020 could be increased by 50%, if surprise Lithuanian proposals seen by EURACTIV are adopted at a meeting of EU diplomats today (29 November).
Lawmakers vote to block EU biofuels bill
Est. 4minA proposal to limit Europe’s use of food-based fuel crops has been stalled by a vote on the European Parliament’s environment committee yesterday (17 October), and may not now be decided before 2015.
Parliament’s lead biofuels MEP in last-ditch battle for ILUC recognition
Est. 7minA critical biofuels vote in Strasbourg on Wednesday (11 September) is expected to be tight but Corinne Lepage, the French Liberal MEP with the lead on the dossier, is "cautiously confident" of securing an agreement over an issue that has threatened to fracture the European Parliament.
EU report: Brussels biofuels policy hikes food prices by up to 50%
Est. 5minIf biofuels received no EU policy support, the price of food stuffs such as vegetable oil would be 50% lower in Europe by 2020 than at present – and 15% lower elsewhere in the world – according to new research by the EU’s Joint Research Centre (JRC).
Indonesian palm oil faces EU bar over tax loophole
Est. 4minIndonesian palm oil has been blamed for deforestation, transcontinental smog, greenhouse gas emissions, forced evictions, child labour and modern day slavery. But if the EU imposes punitive duties on it before 2014, it will be for tax reasons.
MEPs deal a blow to crop-based biofuels
Est. 3minEU efforts to limit the use of crop-based biofuels, increasingly seen as doing the planet more harm than good, won parliamentary backing on Thursday (11 July) in what a top biodiesel company called "a very bad blow".
MEPs to vote on biofuels as study points to hunger, deforestation
Est. 6minAs MEPs prepare to vote on a proposal to curb EU support for biofuels, new research has found that growing fuel crops in place of food automatically creates either hunger or deforestation.
European banks accused of fuelling land grabs in Uganda
Est. 3minSeveral well-known European banks and pension funds have financed a palm oil project in Uganda that has caused land grabs and deforestation, a new research paper has found.
Biofuels industry sent ‘three mails an hour’ in ILUC lobby offensive
Est. 7minEXCLUSIVE / Biofuels companies and associations sent EU cabinet members three e-mails an hour, many containing catastrophic warnings, in the run-up to a recent European Commission proposal to account for greenhouse gas emissions that the fuel crops might indirectly cause.
Parliament report flags major changes to EU biofuels proposal
Est. 3minA European Parliament report into the EU’s proposals for addressing the problem of indirect land use change (ILUC) in its biofuels policy will propose today (17 April) the application of unique ‘factors’ to account for differences in biofuels performance.