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EU to review guidelines on biofuels use.

17 January 2008

Environment commissioner Stavros Dimas told the BBC that the commission was concerned over the clearing of rainforests to plant crops to make biofuels.

He said he discerned a drop off in the enthusiasm for alternative years compared to a year and a half ago.

Mr Dimas said the commission will set guidelines by the end of January on sourcing biofuels based to sustainability criteria.

¿Rainforest deforestation is important not only for fighting climate change but also for fighting the loss of biodiversity, which is the other big problem that the climate is facing.¿

The commission on Monday said the target to generate ten per cent of energy in transport from biofuels by 2020 will remain ¿unchanged¿

The biofuels target was agreed by EU ministers last March.

The European parliament on Monday is set to endorse plans to allocate carbon permits on a per capita basis after the Kyoto protocol expires in 2012.