About: palm oil
Not enough done at EU level against imported deforestation
European imports of soy, cocoa and palm oil fuel deforestation in developing countries. The fight against the resulting collateral damage in Europe is complicated by agricultural interests.
Straw is not waste but co-product, EU farmers tell Commission
The EU farmers’ association claims that straw is an agricultural co-product and not a waste, whereas the European Commission has listed it as waste to produce “advanced biofuel” to decarbonise the transport sector.
Commission study shows path to end agricultural deforestation – now it must act
A new feasibility study on options to fight deforestation will be a litmus test for the European Union’s commitment to halt deforestation by 2020, writes Nicole Polsterer.
Questions raised over EU’s proposed advanced biofuels list
Not all second-generation biofuels listed by the European Commission are sustainable, critics warn, urging policymakers to use the indirect land use change (ILUC) factor to “clean up” the list.
EU set bar ‘too high’ on advanced biofuels
The EU needs a more realistic target for advanced biofuels in transport, green campaigners have warned, saying proper sustainability criteria should be introduced to avoid the “mistakes of the past” when biofuels attracted criticism for causing deforestation and environmental degradation in the developing world.
Malaysia to respond with ‘might and tact’ if EU proceeds with palm oil curbs
Malaysia will respond with "might and tact" if the European Union proceeds with a plan to limit use of palm oil in biodiesel, a cabinet minister said on Tuesday (5 March).
Halting deforestation – a critical contribution from the EU
Halting deforestation and allowing forests to regrow would provide at least 30% of all mitigation action needed to limit global warming to 1.5°C. As a major importer of products linked to deforestation, the EU has the leverage to make a difference, writes former UN climate chief Christiana Figueres.
What member states say about biofuels in transport
On 27 February 2018, the first informal trilogue on the promotion of the use of energy from renewable sources will take place in Brussels. Member states reached a general agreement on the Renewable Energy Directive at the Energy Council on...
Farmers defend biofuels as part of EU’s upcoming ‘protein strategy’
There is a need to maintain the EU's main source of protein feed that are the co-product of biofuels, the European farmers association Copa-Cogeca told EURACTIV.com as the Commission announced its intention to draw up an EU-wide "protein strategy".
EU urged to do more to protect forests
Forest nations are calling on the EU to strengthen the control of supply chains for products causing deforestation such as palm oil or cocoa. EURACTIV.fr reports.
Months away from Malaysian election, EU’s move stirs discontent in palm groves
An EU decision to curb palm oil imports was the last thing Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak needed ahead of a coming election, with rural voters already aggrieved over financial scandals at state-owned palm oil agency Felda. VideoPromoted content
Does Europe want to ban palm oil?
The European Parliament has voted to ban Palm Oil biofuels under the Renewable Energy Directive. There is one key question the Council of the European Union must now decide.
Minister: Malaysia will retaliate against EU goods in case of palm oil ban
The European Parliament's decision to ban palm oil, is "drastic and discriminatory" and Kuala Lumpur is ready to retaliate with its own trade measures against Europe's products if the ban takes effect, Malaysia’s Minister Datuk Seri Mah Siew Keong told EURACTIV.
EU Parliament ends palm oil and caps crop-based biofuels at 2017 levels
The European Parliament decided today (17 January) to phase-out palm oil by 2021 and cap the crop-based biofuels at the 2017 member states’ consumption levels and no more than 7% of all transport fuels until 2030.
Division reigns as Parliament gears up for critical biofuels vote
The European Parliament is due to adopt the recast of the Renewable Energy Directive at its plenary session in Strasbourg on Wednesday (17 January). France is trying to undermine the agreement to eliminate palm oil from EU biofuels - the only compromise MEPs managed to reach.
Commission tells Malaysia proposed biofuel policy respects WTO rules
The European Commission's proposal for the recast of the Renewable Energy Directive is in compliance with the EU’s commitments under the World Trade Organisation (WTO) rules, Commission sources told EURACTIV.com, replying to threats from Malaysia to refer the case to the WTO.
Socialists, EPP and ALDE propose to cap biofuels shares at 2017 level, end palm oil
Lawmakers from the European Parliament's three major political families reached on 10 January a compromise to cap the level of crop-based biofuels at the level that each member state reached in 2017 and “kill” palm oil as a transport fuel from 2021, EURACTIV.com has learnt.
EU heading for ‘zero palm oil’ in transport by 2021
Lawmakers are considering a complete phase out of palm oil in transport fuels by 2021 – a proposal which has garnered support from the biggest political groups in the European Parliament ahead of a key vote next week, EURACTIV can confirm.
Agriculture expert: A ‘third body’ is needed between science and EU politicians
In order to rebuild confidence in EU decision-making, there is a need to establish a “third independent body” between EU politicians and the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) as neither NGOs nor the industry can say whether a substance should be banned or not.
EU palm oil policies are undermining Europe’s goals in South-East Asia
None of the palm oil producing governments have yet made any statement in the European media about the EU's plan to ban biofuels from palm oil. This op-ed by Malaysia's Datuk Seri Mah Siew Keong explains why the EU's palm oil policies can prove to be dangerous.
More than half of EU biodiesel made from imported crops, study finds
Some 53% of EU biodiesel is made with imported feedstock, according to a recent analysis of European Commission data by NGO Transport and Environment, and almost half of imported palm oil is burned in car engines.
Flying on palm oil: Why ICAO’s ‘green fuel’ plan spells climate disaster
Plans to rapidly scale up the use of biofuels in air transport inevitably mean increasing reliance on Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO), most of which currently contain palm oil, the worst polluting biofuel, warns Almuth Ernsting.