Bioenergy Europe welcomes the Adoption of the ITRE REDIII Report
Brussels, 13 July 2022 - Bioenergy Europe welcomes the adoption of the report on the revision of the Renewable Energy Directive (RED) held today at the meeting of the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE) in the European Parliament.
The ITRE report on the RED revision shows clear improvements on the Commission’s proposal and Bioenergy Europe is pleased to see that the Parliament has found a fair compromise aiming for higher climate and energy ambitions, whilst allowing industry operators to be effective and competitive in the market. However, the Committee decided to not vote on any provisions related to biomass sustainability criteria due to ENVI’s exclusive competence over these sections.
We welcome the higher ambitions of the ITRE Committee and the acknowledgment that more must be done to accelerate our climate action and reduce our reliance on imported fossil fuels. The higher targets for renewables of 45% by 2030 coupled with the higher sub-targets of renewables in industry of 1,9 percentage points (pp) as well as district heating of 2,3 pp annual increase are greatly needed. This legislation also seeks to expand the number of renewable heat installers and prevent bottlenecks in this field.
While Bioenergy Europe is pleased with the general outcome of the ITRE vote, more investments, especially in renewable heat solutions, should be unlocked in order to reach the common Green Deal targets. This is essential because heating comprises approximately half of Europe’s energy use, and thus any changes to Europe’s energy policy must address heating decarbonisation.
Bioenergy already plays a key role in the EU energy mix, representing nearly 60% of all renewables and almost 18% of heating alone. In addition to a trade surplus, bioheat technologies are mostly manufactured in Europe and have a strong local component, with more than 50.000 businesses (mostly family-owned companies and small- and medium-enterprises) contributing directly to the EU’s industrial competitiveness. Investing in these technologies not only creates clear gains for climate change mitigation but also generates significant added value and benefits for local development. Precisely at this moment in time, when the energy security of Europe is being threatened, indigenous bioenergy can successfully substitute fossil fuels.
It is disappointing that the ITRE Committee did not have the opportunity to discuss the biomass sustainability criteria. Many of the provisions adopted by the ENVI Committee will have significant impacts on the renewable energy industry. While we understand the allocation of competences within different committees, we hope that when the proposal is put to a vote in the plenary session this autumn, these lingering concerns which were not addressed as of today will be resolved.
Bioenergy Europe’s Policy Officer Daniel Reinemann concludes that “the higher RED ambitions, while remaining effective and realistic at the same time, are welcome, especially as regards the higher 45% renewable energy targets. A spirit of compromise is obvious throughout the Parliament's committee meetings, and we are looking forward to the autumn plenary of the European Parliament”.
