What's happening
Article 7a of the EU's 2009 Fuel Quality Directive, for the first time, obliges fuel suppliers to reduce the lifecycle greenhouse gas ‘intensity’ of transport fuel by 6% by 2020 compared with 2010. From 2011 the directive also obliges suppliers to report information on the greenhouse gas intensity of the fuel they have supplied, to authorities designated by the member states of the EU.
The 6% reduction can be achieved through the use of biofuels, renewable electricity and a reduction in the flaring and venting of gases at the extraction stage of fossil fuel feedstocks.
When EU laws are passed, many important details are left to be decided upon in a process called ‘comitology’. Due to its technical and opaque nature, this process can lead to decisions with major implications being taken without much external scrutiny. In October 2011 the European Commission published a comitology proposal to enable implementation of Article 7a. It establishes a methodology for the calculation of the GHG intensity of fossil fuels and the electricity used in electric vehicles as well as the baseline from which GHG reductions should be measured. The Canadian government and oil companies have strongly objected to the proposal because very carbon intensive products such as fuel produced from Canadian tar sands would be obliged to clean up or otherwise be unwelcome on the EU market. EU Member State officials will vote on the proposal on 23 February. Read our briefing.
