Biofuels and ILUC – Q&A

The Commission’s proposal to mitigate Indirect Land Use Change (ILUC) has brought a number of different actors together to debate a complex and wide ranging policy, one that covers multiple sectors and policy areas. The ILUC dossier is being discussed currently in both the European Parliament and the Council of Minsters with parallel discussions taking place among different stakeholders. For the ILUC proposal to lead to an agreed way forward, it is important to have a common understanding of the key points of the debate and what they mean to different interests and individuals.

There remains a great deal of uncertainty surrounding the Commission’s brief proposals with a lack of information around definitions, implications and expectations. This has lead to a number of frequently conflicting statements put forward by different stakeholders in response. While not exclusively, many of the arguments concern the role of biofuels and their impacts on the agricultural sector. Some of the simpler statements being made on this topic can either be misleading or obscure the need for a more subtle and balanced discussion.

This new IEEP publication tries to disentangle some of the statements that have been and continue to be made in the current debate, particularly issues related to land use and agricultural policy with the aim to contribute to an informed and constructive dialogue between political decision makers.