The European Bioethanol Fuels Association eBIO would like to see a coherent European import policy in 2008 to close existing loopholes and thus to pave the way for a strong domestic industry. That is what Robert Vierhout, Secretary-General of eBIO, said in the first eBIO market commentary article at Ethanol Statistics.
In 2007 the EU will have imported roughly 800 mln litres of ethanol for the fuel stream from Brazil only, which equals more than one third of total EU-production. According to Mr. Vierhout, “the number shows that Europe is already today the continent, which is very open to biofuel imports if not the most open one in the world”.
He mentions that the EU allows duty free ethanol access from the least developed countries (LDC), countries belonging to the African, Caribbean and Pacific group of states (ACP) and states falling under the Generalised System of Preferences (GSP+). According to him, “A total suppression of import duties is thus not only unnecessary, but would even harm the development of those regions as well as the European agricultural and industrial sector. Replacing all our fuel ethanol needs by imports would undermine the security of supply goal as well as sustainability objectives. Unrestrained expansion from production in Third countries could after all result in unwanted environmental effects. eBIO therefore would like to see a coherent European import policy in 2008.”
These comments are part of eBIO’s first monthly market commentary article at Ethanol Statistics, in which Mr. Vierhout discusses the most pressing issues for the European fuel ethanol market in 2008, including legislation, sustainability, trade and feedstock availability. The full article can be found
here.