OO. 4c.8 Ensure that the production of plants for renewable energy does not negatively impact on biodiversity

Biomass* and biofuels* are set to cover an ever-increasing share of the EU's future transport and heating needs. The EU is supporting biofuels with the aim of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, boosting the decarbonisation of transport fuels, diversifying fuel supply sources, offering new income opportunities in rural areas and developing long-term replacements for fossil fuel.

In 2003, the Biofuels Directive on the promotion of the use of biofuels and other renewable fuels for transport set out indicative targets for Member States.

In December 2005: the European Commission adopted an Action Plan designed to increase the use of energy from forestry, agriculture and waste materials.

The European Union is already working towards achieving a 5.75% share for biofuels in transport by 2010. To help meet this target, the European Commission has adopted an EU Strategy for Biofuels.With regard to CAP, the decoupling of income support from production introduced in 2003 by the reformed CAP helps to facilitate the supply of energy crops. In particular, crops that were eligible for direct payments only under the non-food regime on set-aside areas may now be cultivated on any area without loss of income support.

Under Rural development policy, investments on or near farms, for example in biomass processing, as well as the mobilisation of unused biomass by forest holders, can also be supported. The Commission has proposed Community strategic guidelines for rural development that emphasise renewable energy, including biofuels. It is also proposing a specific ad hoc group to consider biomass and biofuel opportunities within national rural development programmes.

Bio-energies derived from agricultural crops are set to increase in importance in the coming years. Impacts of biofuel crops on biodiversity are not known yet. However, it is clear that the increasing area devoted to energetic crops has an impact on biodiversity. Furthermore, intensive production of any form of biomass has serious negative impacts on biodiversity as a result of the use of fertilisers, pesticides, monoculture and forest clearing.

It is therefore necessary to control, monitor and assess the impacts of those crops on biodiversity and to consider carefully how policies can best increase use of biomass and biofuels without damaging biodiversity. Implementation of the EU Biomass Action Plan must therefore take due account of biodiversity in assessments in order to ensure ecological sustainability of biomass production.

Tropical countries have clear comparative advantages, at least in the field of bio-ethanol production. In order to meet the growing demand for biomass and bio-fuels, the EU already imports large quantities of crops with substantial environmental impacts, such as palm oil or sugar cane. This must not lead to unacceptable pressures on biodiversity and food production in the exporting countries. This is not only an issue for bio-fuels, but bio-fuels will increase the pressure.