The European Commission (EC) has proposed that biofuels make up a minimum of 10% of all transport fuels by 2020.
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The move its part of the EC’s ‘Renewable Energy Roadmap’ that is integral to its new energy policy for Europe.
The proposals will be debated in the spring by the European Council. A proposed legislation package will include legally binding targets, but each member state will have the freedom to determine the best renewable energy mix for its own country.
The European Union (EU) started working towards a target of 12% share of renewable energy in its overall mix by 2010, but the figure looks unlikely to exceed 10%, despite the fact that renewable energy consumption has increased by 55% since then.
The roadmap also emphasises the need for the coordinated development of biofuels throughout the EU.
“It is particularly important to define these targets now, as manufacturers will soon be designing future vehicles that will need to run on these fuels,” said the commission in a statement.
It added; “While biofuels are more expensive than other forms of renewable energy today, they are the only way to significantly reduce oil dependence in the transport sector over the next 15 years.”
