Biomass* energy 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.

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.

EU Directive 2009/28/EC on the promotion of the (sustainable) use of energy from renewable sources raises the share of renewable energy to 20 % by 2020 and the share of renewable energy in the transport sector specifically to 10 %. This directive is challenging, especially because a large number of plants grown to produce renewable energy are non-indigenous. As demonstrated by numerous studies on biofuels, imports to meet our need for renewable resources have dramatic consequences for the fight against climate change or the protection of biodiversity, as they indirectly lead to land use changes: they contribute to accelerate the destruction or degradation of natural habitats and increase the introduction of non-indigenous plants for that production. Intensive production of any form of biomass has serious negative impacts on biodiversity as a result of the use of fertilizers, pesticides, monoculture and forest clearing. In order to meet the growing demand for biomass and biofuels, 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 biofuels, but biofuels will increase the pressure.

It is necessary to consider carefully how policies in Belgium can best increase the use of biomass and biofuels without damaging biodiversity. However, current attribution criteria in Belgium (established until 2013) only take into account the limitation in the use of fertilizers and pesticides, yet there are no specific criteria related to biodiversity. As a follow-up to the two studies on the impacts of biofuel production on biodiversity carried out in 2009 and 2010, Belgium will defend a position aiming at the compulsory inclusion of new environmental criteria within the framework of the revision of Renewable Energy Directive 2009/28/EC. Incentives should be restricted to the promotion of biofuels produced from feedstock that do not create an additional demand for land and do not compete with other uses like food, materials, biodiversity.