1. Update on EU policy files concerning bioenergy
Nathalie Hemeleers
AEBIOM
World Energy Council
Tampere, 25 October 2016

2. AUTUMN WILL BE VERY BUSY IN BRUSSELS:
By the end of the year (December):
REVISION OF THE RENEWABLE ENERGY (RES) DIRECTIVE
EU BIOENERGY SUSTAINABILITY POLICY
REVISION OF THE ENERGY EFFICIENCY (EE) DIRECTIVE
OTHERS (Market design, Energy performance of buildings directive, etc)

3. EU Energy and Climate Package
GHG emissions
Renewables
Energy Efficiency
2020
Targets
- 20% % %
2030
- 40% % %
ETS
Effort Sharing Decision
LULUCF
Renewable Energy Directive
« Sustainabilty policy »
Energy Efficency Directive
Energy Performance of
Building Directive
Tools

4. Renewable Energy Directive revision
Renewables objectives for the period
Commission and Member States -> political agreement on a 27% EU target
European Parliament has called for 30%
Common work of EU RES associations to:
Call for a higher RES objective (27% is not ambitious)
No more national binding RES objectives expected: request planning and reporting from Member States to provide visibility to economic operators.

5. BIOENERGY SUSTAINABILITY
EU policy announced for the end of the year
Public consutation in May: AEBIOM reply public
Unbalanced debate at EU level with a dominant negative tone focused on bioenergy risks rather than benefits

6. BIOENERGY SUSTAINABILITY
Impact Assessment with 5 options by the Commission
Baseline: no further EU action
Biofuels criteria extended to all bioenergy
Risk Based Approach (RBA) for forestry biomass
Energy efficiency requirement
Limit the use of roundwood
Option 1: would mean probably another communication (non binding) as we had in 2010 and This would also very likely mean a “reporting clause” to evaluate the situation in a few yearts time. So this would certainly not close the debate and would not provide certainty to business. It would leave even more room to green organisations to continue their campaigning
Option 3: AEBIOM is supporting this option. The objective of the RBA tool is to evaluate the risks on forestry such as biodiversity ; carbon stock ; water, soil etc….the RA should be done at macro level (supply area / region / country) and contisti in listing the existing tools in place (legislations ; certification) and evaluate wheterht ehse tools are sufficient or not to address the risks. The modalities (who would be in charge,? Who would controle) should be defined.
Option 4: this option would consist in providing financial support only to plants with a certain level of efficiency. So it would not ban inefficient plants properly speaking but it would not ban inefficient plants but in practice, those inefficient plants who need financial support could not run anymore.
Option 5: when mentioning this option publicly a few weeks ago, the Commission did not reply to the question on “how roundwood was defined under this option”. N, for info B: NGOs are calling for a ban of roundwood with a diameter above 10 cm.

7. BIOENERGY SUSTAINABILITY - AEBIOM position
Need for an EU harmonised policy
Provide confidence for investments (which is not the case any more)
Regulatory equal playing field
Public acceptance by showing the sector responsibility
Need for a pragmatic and proportionate policy:
Approach per type of biomass
GHG emissions savings threshold (60%) based on existing methodologies
Risks based approach for forestry biomass

8. BIOENERGY SUSTAINABILITY
Next steps
Implementation really depends on type of policy:
Regulation  co-decision between Council and Parliament, to start in 2021
or non regulation  B.A.U., private initiatives (SBP, etc.).

9. Energy Efficiency Directive + Energy Performance
of Building Directive:
key for heating and cooling sector
H&C = 50% of EU total energy consumption (75% in buildings)

10. Energy Efficiency Directive + Energy Performance
of Building Directive:
key for heating and cooling sector
Coming revisions should strengthen RES H&C
-> better access to financings for investments in RES appliances
-> strengthen awareness of consumers
-> stop subsidizing fossil fuels
-> set a clear, coherent and stable policy framework
FRONT project: EU and national policy recommendations on RES H&C development

11. Energy Efficiency Directive Revision - Challenges
Stop supporting fossil fuels installations (eg: public money to replace old installations with condensing gas and oil boilers)
Important for the RES sector: do not think in « silos » mode. RES and EE are complementary
Pressure in favour of the electrification of the H&C sector

12. OTHER IMPORTANT FILES EU State aid guidelines
-> Current guidelines valid for 2015 – 2020
-> Discussion starting on future rules after 2020: public consultation expected in summer 2017
-> AEBIOM WG competitiveness
Ecolabelling
-> Rules in place for individual biomass appliances
-> Decision to change the scale system: warning !
EU bioeconomy manifesto; coordinated by DG RTD. In the NL, they have gathered industry, NGOs and policy makers to work on a manifesto on bioeconomy that was agreed and signed by all parties. The EU is trying to do the same. Stakeholders meeting have taken place last spring. This manifesto (if they manage) would be used to revise the EU bioeconomy strategy (revision foreseen next year)
Generally speaking, bioeconomy is a topic discussed a lot in Brussels. Many events about this topic. The bioenergy sector is often not well seen in this debate which is focused on cascading and competition of uses.

13. OTHER IMPORTANT FILES Air emissions
-> EU legislations in place for controlling emissions from small, medium and large scale combustion installations
Bioeconomy
-> EU manifesto under preparation
-> EU strategy will be revised on 2017
-> Energy sector criticised

14. CONCLUSION
Major EU decisions in the coming weeks that will impact the bioenergy sector
2017: co-decisions -> work with Member States and Parliament
The EU bioenergy industry must be strong and organised to raise its voice and defend its interests and positions

15. Thank you !