(Bio)Fueling Injustice? - Europafrica

ecological and social impacts in producing countries”. 208 Another sign, in the port of
Rotterdam, which represents a useful indicator as it is the largest trading hub and
production site in Europe, 209 biofuel trade flow from outside the EU are expected to
increase. 210
The fact that biofuel imports are important to achieve the EU biofuel strategy has been
recognised by the European Commission itself, which affirmed in a 2011
Communication that “trade among Member States and imports from outside the EU
could reduce costs in the medium to long-run”. 211 In 2010, the Commission announced
that the RED and the revision of the Fuel Directive “will increase imports of biofuels
from developing countries”. 212 In 2007, an EU study event estimated that between 22%
and 54% of EU biofuel needs by 2020 would be met by import. 213 In a paper on food
security, the Commission also acknowledged the direct link between it biofuel policies
and consequences in developing countries:
Incentives for bioenergy production in developing countries are
created by policies in developing and developed countries and
are likely to lead to an increase of international trade in
biomass. 214
Remarkably, the latest previsions of the EU Directorate General for Agriculture and
Rural Development indicates that EU biofuel feedstock production cannot keep
pace with the expected growth in EU demand and net-imports of biofuel feedstocks
will continue to play an important role in the future, particularly for ethanol. 215 For
instance:
The EU is an important net importer of oilseeds, oilseed meals
and vegetable oils. This trade balance is not expected to
improve over the outlook as additional imports are required to
meet biofuel targets. 216
This recognition reflects a broader shift in EU’s policies. The EU indeed originally
intended to produce biomass from “indigenous” sources, but later turned to imports
from developing countries, faced with projections that they EU would have to import
large amount of biofuels by 2030. 217
5.2.2. … in Africa
The question is then to know from where the EU will source its biofuel imports. It
will without a doubt come from a variety of origins. 218 However, African lands will very
likely be particularly impacted. As discussed in part 5.1, evidence indicates that,
globally, land expansion for biofuel production will largely take place in Africa in the
future, and feedstock production for EU imports is likely to follow the same global
direction. The IFPRI estimates, for instance, that Sub Saharan Africa will be amongst
“the most affected” regions by the increase in cropland area due to the biofuels EU
mandate. 219 An authoritative World Bank author equally notes that the EU is expected
to become large biofuel importers in the 2010s because of consumption mandates,
and “African biofuel producers are expected to supply a portion of these imports and
have the advantage of duty-free and quota-free market access.” 220 Due to the nature of
the physical environment and the type of production in Asia, the sustainability criteria
also hinder the potential of Southeast Asian palm oil or biodiesel made from palm oil to
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