Once hailed as the green alternative to fossil fuels, biofuels brought their own set of problems with them. Where next for European legislation? Rapporteur Torvalds explains.

Biofuels: a second chance?

https://api.multimedia.europarl.europa.eu/documents/20125/11980991/n004-0019-en.srt

For many years it was hoped  biofuels would become

the alternative energy source  to fossil fuels.

But Europe is learning it's not so easy:

how to reduce the CO2 emissions  the biofuels themselves produce,

We got civic organisations  with special interests in biofuels

to pose questions to Parliament's  rapporteur on the issue, Nils Torvalds.

Mr Torvalds, our first question  comes from Friends of Earth Europe.

Evidence points to EU biofuels policy  increasing competition for land

and driving land grabs,  especially in Africa and South East Asia.

In some cases, communities face violence  and lose their livelihoods.

Mr Torvalds, how do you respond  to these failings?

Well, the question of land use  in third world countries is a very real one,

but we can't actually solve  all those problems.

We have a provision in the ILUC file  for granting rights to the population,

to keep the big companies  from grabbing land

because land grabbing is of course  a very serious thing

and it will probably be more serious  in the future.

But in the EP, we can't decide what  everyone else is going to do in the world.

We have to take care of the questions  for which we are responsible.

Because it is also a multilateral problem?

Some companies don't listen to us  because they are outside our jurisdiction.

So even if we know the problems  we cannot always address them.

Let's go directly to the second question.

This is from the  European Environmental Bureau.

Because of indirect land use change  emissions, some biofuels like biodiesel

that are currently subsidised  under EU legislation,

are not delivering  greenhouse gas emission savings

in comparison with the fossil fuels  they are meant to replace.

Bearing in mind that the fuel quality  and renewable energy directives

were both established  to mitigate climate change,

how does your report address  this fundamental problem?

Just for people to understand, the problem  is that there were some myths on biofuels

that today we accept were not realistic.

For example, biofuels being really bio  and ecologically friendly.

In reality, they sometimes produce  more CO2 gases than other, fossil fuels.

Is this the case?  Can you explain that a bit?

Depending on the feedstock you use,  you could be producing more or less CO2,

so it's a question of feedstock.  So what kind of feedstock do we use

And to bring this process forward,  we need to open up to new technologies.

So what are you now proposing  in your report?

but these are lower  than in the current legislation

The proposal was 10%,  now we go to 6%. Why?

What we are trying to do is to give those  who have invested in old technologies,

in bioethanol, the possibility  of getting some of their money back.

At the same time we are trying to  open up to new technologies,

You mentioned bioethanol.  We have a question from them.

Let's listen to that and then you can explain.

You publicly stated that you want  the first generation biofuels

produced by European farmers  to be phased out after 2020,

even the ones with proven  low indirect land use change risks.

That will cost tens of thousands  of long-term jobs.

Well, I don't think that is  an honest argument, actually.

Why?  -Because we can also create new jobs.

By applying new technologies  we can create new jobs.

Let's go to the last question,  which comes from the biodiesel sector

We have to remember that this sector has  received a lot of EU funding. Let's listen.

How do you plan to safeguard  the current investments

as defined in the new directive,  our industry will be dead.

What we are facing is  very heavy lobbying

where everyone is looking  at their own very narrow interests.

My job is not to go  where the lobbyists want me to go,

my job is to get a decent law  through the European Parliament.

How much funding do biofuels get  today in Europe?

..because that's again mostly money  from the states, Member States.

It's sure that we won't be able  to get a decent market

Therefore my proposition was  that we should find,

so that we create a real market  for biodiesels.

Do you still think these biofuels  have huge potential?

First of all, I think we have had  a technological breakthrough.

We have more possibilities to mitigate CO2  than ever before.

And at the same time  we have a very serious problem

because most of the fossil fuels  coming to Europe come from Russia.

Thank you very much and good luck.  -Thank you. I'm going to need that.