European Bio-Energy Projects

CLEAR DATA
Objectives
The main objective of this project is to
assist policy-makers and industrial
organisations in identifying the possibilities
and strategies towards large-scale
sustainable production, use and trade of
biofuels for the transport sector in and
from Central and Eastern European
countries. The project’s objectives are
• to create better understanding among
European stakeholders on the economic
and environmental performance of biofuels;
• to have a better understanding of
the biomass production potentials in
Western and Eastern Europe;
• to identify for Europe promising
international trading chains for biofuel,
and to understand the (socio)-economic
impacts for the agricultural, industrial
and transport sectors in Europe.
By integral analysis, the project aims at
providing a sound information basis for
the European Commission and industrial
and other stakeholders for future
decision-making, policy formulation and
information dissemination activities,
in order to facilitate a successful
introduction of biofuels into the European
energy system.
VIEWLS: Clear views
on clean fuels;
data, potential, scenarios,
markets and trade
of biofuels
Achieving clear views on information and future
perspectives of biofuels for transportation is
the key driver of VIEWLS. This project aims to
assist policy-makers, NGOs and industrial
decision-makers in the selection of optimal
pathways for the development and market
introduction of biofuels in Europe.
Challenges
Given the plans of the European Commission for
a 20% market share of alternative transport
fuels (biofuels, natural gas, and hydrogen) by the
year 2020, it is clear that biofuels will have to
contribute significantly to reach this target. In fact,
biofuels are already expected to play a dominant
role in the short term. A contribution of 2% in
2005 is envisaged, growing to 5.75% in 2010,
requiring a significant increase in production
and consumption levels. Just how ambitious
these targets are is illustrated by the production
level of biofuels in Europe in 2000: the
contribution of biofuels in the total mix of
transportation fuels was approximately 0.3%!
As investments in new production plants are
about to be made, new Member States are
joining at the eastern border of the European
Union, and the greenhouse gas problem has
still to be tackled, this is the time to make the
right decisions on the ways to stimulate the
introduction of biofuels. This project aims to
assist policy-makers, NGOs and industrial
decision-makers in the selection of the most
optimal pathways for the development and
market introduction of biofuels. The project will
do this by:
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• Making clear which environmental and
economic performance parameters of biofuels
are vital for high-quality decision-making for the
promotion of biofuels, also in the light of
socio-cultural aspects;
• Making clear just what the biofuel production
potential in the EU is and which data are
needed for future assessment of this
potential;
• Making clear how biofuels can be introduced
or produced sustainably and which opportunities
are presented by inter-European trade
in biofuels; and
• Making clear how different national circumstances
in EU Member States can be ‘used’
to achieve the biofuel targets, at the lowest
risks and costs to society.
Interaction and information
exchanges
The project will be realised in close collaboration
with and with regular feedback to the relevant
stakeholders (industry, consumer representatives,
environmental bodies, local and national
authorities). Stakeholders are invited to
participate in the project, according to the
following levels of (free-of-charge) ‘membership’:
• “VIP-membership”: VIEWLS Interested Persons
are interested in VIEWLS and receive
invitations to workshops, are invited to fill
in questionnaires, and receive the VIEWLSnewsletter
in which news alerts for newly
available reports and other documents are
published. With this membership you are kept
up to date with the development of biofuels