It's all about balancing. Regarding the large share of the transport sector in greenhouse gas emissions and the problems of reducing these emissions, biofuels are needed badly. But we need sustainable production and use of these biofuels, as soon as possible.

Are you ready to support the call from NGOs for a complete biofuels moratorium? That would imply that the world would have to wait for new, more effective and sustainable biofuels to be developed in the laboratory. But would a growing market not be the strongest incentive to speed up such research and development?

Regarding the large emissions reductions to be achieved in the next decennia, the world can't afford to wait for developing markets in the renewable energy business. But we also need the perspective of sustainability. However both the EU and the UK plans don’t yet have enough guarantees for a sustainable market development. The UK, the first EU Member State to come forward with firm biofuels sustainability considerations, has only presented reporting guidelines, still keeping a set of tough requirements in reserve. The EU plans contain some components, but still not tough enough to enforce a fast development of really sustainable biofuels.

The target setting for 2010 (a 5.75% share) has proved to us that an ambitious target like 10% in 2020 cannot do without thorough provisions warranting the sustainability. Let's see what the Commission will finally come up with next Wednesday.

Rolf de Vos
Editor in chief
GreenPrices
r.devos@greenprices.com