Parliament adopts biofuels report
The European Parliament has approved a proposal which aims to promote the use of biofuels through setting targets for their use in Member States. Biofuels are regarded as environmentally friendly as they are non-fossil fuels, and instead are drawn from fermentation or processing non-fossil biological materials. Following the vote by MEPs, these should now account for two per cent of fuel sold in Member States by December 2005 and 5.75 per cent by 2010. No targets will be set for blended fuels (combining traditional and biofuels) until the Commission has reported back. The legislation must be put into force in Member States by the end of December 2004, with the Commission due to report back on progress by the end of December 2006. The introduction of the targets for biofuel use is seen as a contribution to the commitments made by the EU as part of the Kyoto protocol. MEPs clarified that 'green' procedures must be observed in the production of these biofuels and that engines using them do not risk being damaged. They would also like to see active promotion of biofuels by Member States, especially in public transport.