Legally binding sustainability criteria for biomass unlikely

The European Commission is unlikely to come forward with a proposal that would make sustainability criteria for biomass used to generate heat and power legally binding. The Commission’s DG Energy and Transport, which prepared a policy paper on the issue, has rejected the idea. It is likely instead that the Commission will publish a non-binding recommendation for Member States on the issue.

The Commission is, nonetheless, obliged to report on the need for a sustainability scheme for biomass used as energy by the end of this year, under the EU’s new Directive on the promotion of renewable energy. There is also likely to be a review by the Commission in 2011 on the need for legally binding criteria.

Directive 2009/28/EC on the promotion of the use of energy from renewable sources can be found here:

http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2009:140:0016:0062:EN:PDF