Briefing for the ENVI delegation to the Porto Marghera refinery in Venice on 17 -18 July 2017

The EU has set a target to replace 10% of transport fuel of every EU country by fuels from renewable sources by 2020. Although making good progress, efforts in the EU will have to increase to meet the target. To avoid negative effects on biodiversity, indirect land use change and in terms of greenhouse gas emissions, it will be crucial to develop stringent sustainability criteria for the use of biofuels. This paper analyses the current state of biofuels in the EU. It gives an overview of recent EU legislation on biofuels, assesses current discussions about future policies, provides information on production and consumption of biofuels in the EU and evaluates technologies employed in an exemplary biorefinery in Italy.