Letter to the European Commission regarding the trade of biomethane outside the EU
A collective letter to the European Commission to clarify the situation regarding biomethane trade outside the EU!
The signatories are active players in the bioenergy market, and eight of the 46 organizations are members of the Bioenergy Association of Ukraine: REA – Renewable Energy Agency, Gals Agro Agroholding, SEC Biomass, Naftogaz Bioenergy, Bioenergy Association of Ukraine, MHP Eco Energy, VITAGRO Group of Companies, Global 100% RE Ukraine.
We have attached the full text of the appeal and will continue to defend the position of Ukrainian biomethane.
Today, it is critical that the European Commission guarantees full recognition of imported biomethane and biomethane-based fuels in the EU database UDB (Union Database for Biofuels).
We will remind you that in November 2023, the European Commission expressed its intention to exclude the certification of biomethane and, as a result, fuels based on biomethane, if their transportation takes place outside the EU. However, there should be no restrictions on fuels that fully meet the sustainability and GHG reduction requirements of the Renewable Energy Directive.
EU entrepreneurs and their counterparts from third countries are concerned about the lack of formal communication and therefore clarity on the issue, including the time limits, motivations and implications for the industry already in place. It is worth noting that the European Commission has recently unofficially acknowledged that there is a problem with connecting to the database of countries outside the EU, but there are no clarifications.
The signatories recommend to the European Commission to:
- Clarify the reasons for and the legal provisions upon which the European Commission relies for
- changing the currently applied certification requirements of Voluntary Schemes and exclude certified and mass-balanced volumes produced in third countries.
- Clarify which requirements third countries and/or the voluntary international schemes setting standards must meet to fully participate in the Union Database and undertake work with these countries’ administrations to deliver the necessary agreements to unlock imports/exports and ensure consistent accounting of relevant volumes in the EU and in the country of origin.
- Confirm that an interim solution will be implemented ensuring immediate recognition of products meeting the sustainable and GHG reduction requirements applicable to EU production while a long-term solution is being developed.
Join in supporting an important initiative!
