Industries Urge EU to Reconsider Renewables Policy

European margarine, paper, wood, furniture and some chemical industries urged the European Union on Tuesday not to adopt a plan to introduce binding targets for renewable energy and biofuels.

The industries are concerned about the potential impact “of current shortages and price increases of their raw material, as a result of the European Commission’s narrow focus on targets for renewable energies,” they said in a joint statement.
A worldwide rush to promote renewable energy and biofuels derived from biomass and crops have led to sharp increases in prices of grains and vegetable oils, creating a conflict with traditional users such as food industries.

The European industries, using agricultural and forestry raw materials, said their future was endangered by the EU’s proposal for binding renewable targets.

The industries said they should be closely involved in setting the EU’s renewable energy policy and national biomass action plans to avoid conflicts over raw materials.

Planet Ark