EN    EN  COMMISSION OF THE E UROPEAN COMMUNITIES 
Brussels, 23.1.2008 
COM(2008) 19 final 
2008/0016 (COD)   
Proposal for a 
DIRECTIVE OF THE EUROPEAN PA RLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL  
on the promotion of the use of  energy from renewable sources 
(presented by the Commission) 
 
{COM(2008) 30 final} 
{SEC(2008) 57} {SEC(2008) 85}  
EN 2   EN Explanatory memorandum  
1. CONTEXT OF THE PROPOSAL  
• Grounds for and objectives of the proposal 
The Community has long recognised the need to  further promote renewable energy given that 
its exploitation contributes to climate change  mitigation through the reduction of greenhouse 
gas emissions, sustainable development, secu rity of supply and the development of a 
knowledge based industry creating jobs, economi c growth, competitiveness and regional and 
rural development. 
This Proposal for a Directive ai ms to establish an overall bi nding target of a 20% share of 
renewable energy sources in en ergy consumption and a 10% binding minimum target for 
biofuels in transport to be achieved by each Me mber State, as well as binding national targets 
by 2020 in line with the overa ll EU target of 20%. 
Responding to the call made by the Europ ean Council of March 2006 (Council Document 
7775/1/06 REV10) the Commission presented its Strategic Eur opean Energy Review on the 
10 January 2007. As part of the Review, the Renewable Energy Road Map [COM(2006) 848] set out a long term vision for re newable energy sources in the EU. It proposed that the EU 
establish a binding target of 20%  for renewable energy's share of energy consumption in the 
EU by 2020, and a binding 10% target for the shar e of renewable energy in transport petrol 
and diesel. 
The European Parliament noted in its Resolution on climate cha nge (14 February 2007) that 
energy policy is a crucial element of the EU  global strategy on climate change, in which 
renewable energy sources and energy efficient technologies play an important role. The 
Parliament supported the proposal of a binding target to increase th e level of renewable 
energy in the EU energy  mix to 20% by 2020 as a good starting point, and c onsidered that this 
target should be increased to 25% of th e EU energy mix. Furthermore the European 
Parliament, in its Resolution on the Roadmap fo r Renewable Energy in Europe (25 September 
2007), called on the Commission to present by th e end of 2007 a proposal for a renewable 
energy legislative framework, referring to the im portance of setting targ ets for the shares of 
renewable energy sources at EU  and Member State level. 
The Brussels European Council of March 2007  (Council Document 7224/07) reaffirmed the 
Community's long-term commitment to the EU -wide development of renewable energies 
beyond 2010 and invited the Commission to subm it its proposal for a new comprehensive 
Directive on the use of renewable resources. This should include legally binding targets for 
the overall share of renewable energy and the sh are of biofuels for transport in each Member 
State. 
• General context 
The EU and the world are at a cross-road conc erning the future of energy. The challenges of 
climate change caused by anthropogenic emissions  of greenhouse gases, mainly from use of 
fossil energy, need to be tackled effectively an d urgently. Recent studies have contributed to 
growing awareness and knowledge of the problem  and its long-term consequences, and have 
stressed the need for decisive  and immediate action. An integrat ed approach to climate and  
EN 3   EN energy policy is needed given that energy production and use are primary sources for 
greenhouse gas emissions. The European Union's increasing dependence on energy imports threatens its security of supply and implies higher prices. In c ontrast, boosting investment in 
energy efficiency, renewable en ergy and new technologies ha s wide-reaching benefits and 
contributes to the EU's strategy for growth and jobs. 
The consequences of climate change, increasing dependence on fossil fuels, and rising energy 
prices make it even more pressing for the EU to put in place a comprehensive and ambitious 
policy on energy combining action at the European and Member States' level. In the framework of this energy policy, the renewable energy sector stands out  for its ability to 
reduce greenhouse gas emissions and pollution, exploit local and decentralised energy 
sources, and stimulate world- class high-tech industries. 
Renewable energy sources are largely indigenous, th ey do not rely on the fu ture availability of 
conventional sources of energy, and their pre dominantly decentralised nature makes our 
economies less vulnerable to volatile energy s upply. Consequently they constitute a key 
element of a sustainable energy future. 
For renewables to become the "stepping stone"  to reaching the dual objective of increased 
security of supply and reduced greenhouse gas em issions, a change in the way in which the 
EU promotes renewables is needed. Strengtheni ng and expansion of the current EU regulatory 
framework is necessary. It is important to ensu re that all Member States take the necessary 
measures to increase the share of  renewables in their energy mix. 
A new legislative framework for the promoti on and the use of renewable energy in the 
European Union will provide the business commun ity with the long term stability it needs to 
make rational investment decisions in the renewa ble energy sector so as to put the European 
Union on track towards a cleaner, more secure and more competitive energy future. 
• Existing provisions in the area of the proposal 
Directive 2001/77/EC (OJ L 283, 27.10.2001) of th e European Parliament and of the Council 
on the promotion of electricity produced from renewable energy sources in the internal 
market: the Directive sets a 21% indicative share of electricity produced from renewable energy sources in total Community electric ity consumption by 2010. It defines national 
indicative targets for each Member  State, encourages the use of national support schemes, the 
elimination of administrative barriers and gr id system integration, and lays down the 
obligation to issue renewable energy producers with  guarantees of origin if they request them. 
With current policies and effort s in place, it can be expected that a share of 19% by 2010 –
rather than the 21% aimed at - will be reached.  
Directive 2003/30/EC (OJ L 123, 17.5.2003) of the European Parliament and of the Council 
on the promotion of the use of biofuels or othe r renewable fuels for transport: the Directive 
sets a target of 5.75% of biofuels  of all petrol and diesel for tr ansport placed on the market by 
31 December 2010. Member States were required  to set indicative targets for 2005, taking a 
reference value of 2% into account. This interim indicative target has not been achieved. Biofuels counted to 1% of tr ansport fuel in 2005. The Commi ssion's conclusion according to 
the assessment of the progress is that the target for 2010 is not likely to be achieved- expectations are for a share of about 4.2%.  
EN 4   EN Provisions of the former 2001/77/EC and 2003/30/ EC Directives that  overlap with the 
provisions of the new Directive wi ll be deleted at the moment of transposition; those that deal 
with targets and reporting for 2010 will remain in force until 31 December 2011. 
• Consistency with the other policies and objectives of the Union 
The Proposal is consistent with  the EU policies of combating climate change, reducing green-
house gas emissions, achieving su stainable development, ensu ring energy security and 
realising the Lisbon Strategy. 
The proposal will, in particular, form part of  a legislative package that will establish 
greenhouse gas and renewable energy commitments for all Member States. In addition to the 
present Directive establishing renewable ener gy targets for 2020, the package proposed by the 
Commission includes a Regulati on updating national greenhouse ga s emissions targets and a 
Directive to improve and expand the EU emissions trading system (EU ETS). The 
interlinkages between setting greenhouse gas reduction targets, the emissions trading scheme 
and renewable energy targets are clear. The Commission sees the various elements as 
complementary: EU ETS will facilitate growth  in renewable energy; the renewable energy 
Directive will create conditions enabling renewable energy to play  a key role in reaching the 
greenhouse gas reduction targets. 
The Community's external energy policy shou ld ensure the common voice of the EU in 
support of intensifying its rela tionship with its energy partne rs, with a view to further 
diversifying sources and routes, strengtheni ng partnership and coope ration and focusing on 
the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, re newables and increasing energy efficiency. 
Third countries should be able to benefit from the promotion of renewables in the EU through 
the supply of biofuels and other bioliquids wh ich meet sustainability requirements, or the 
supply of renewable electricity from neighbour ing countries. While in principle, no trade 
restrictions should apply to rene wable energy imports or export s, the Community must ensure 
that a level playing field is afforded to all re newable energy producers, in and outside of the 
Community. As this proposal sets ambitious obj ectives for Member Stat es and its industry to 
meet, the issue of legal framework of third countries must be addressed.  
The development of a market for renewable en ergy sources and technologies also has a clear 
positive impact on security of energy supply, regional and local development opportunities, 
rural development, export prospects, soci al cohesion and employ ment opportunities, 
especially as concerns small and medium-si zed undertakings as well as independent power 
producers. 
The proposal is also consis tent with the European Strategic Energy Technology Plan 
[COM(2007) 723], which emphasises the need to  bring the next gene ration of renewable 
energy technologies to market competitiveness.  In addition, information and communication 
technologies will further facilita te the integra tion of renewable energi es into the European 
electricity supply and distribution system.  
EN 5   EN 2. CONSULTATION OF INTERESTED PARTIES AND IMPACT ASSESSMENT  
• Consultation of interested parties 
Consultation methods, main sectors targ eted and general pr ofile of respondents  
The main issues addressed in the renewabl e energy roadmap were debated in the public 
consultation on the Energy Green Paper and the Strategic European En ergy Review between 
March and September 2006. Furthermore there ha ve been consultations  during 2007 including 
with Member States, citizens, stakeholder groups, civil society organisations, NGOs and 
consumer organisations. 
The legislative proposal is ba sed on a thorough impact assessment  process with widespread 
consultation with stakeholders: numerous meetings with stakeholders on the key issues of the 
proposal, including barriers to the developm ent of renewable energy uses, biofuels 
sustainability and flexibility measures in mee ting the renewable nationa l targets. Four public 
consultation exercises (Internet) have taken pl ace, apart from the one on the Energy Green 
Paper (March-September 2006), on the revision of  biofuels policy, on heating and cooling in 
renewable energy, on administrative barrier s and on biofuels sustainability.  
1. Public consultation on the biofuels  Directive review (April-July 2006); 
2. Public consultation on the promotion of h eating and cooling from renewable energies 
(August-October 2006); 
3. Public consultation on administrative barriers to the development of renewable 
resources in the electricity sector (March-April 2007); 
4. Public consultation on biofuel issues in  the new legislation on the promotion of 
renewable energy (April-June 2007). 
Summary of responses and how th ey have been taken into account  
There was wide support for a stronger policy on  renewable energy sources and notably to a 
longer-term target for renewable energy, with suggestions ranging from  20% in 2020 to 50% 
and more by 2040/2050. The use of obligatory ta rgets was widely s upported, as was the 
internalisation of external costs. 
The main positive effects of an EU initiative to increase heating and cooling from renewable 
energy sources, as suggested by a large number of respondents, are related to the promotion of 
local employment and opportunities for small a nd medium sized enterprises, regional and 
rural development, stimulati ng economic growth and increasin g global European industry 
leadership. Tackling climate change  and the security of the EU's energy supply were also seen 
as positive effects. The negative effects suggeste d by respondents mostly re late to the pressure 
on biomass resources, which are also used for non-energy industrial use and its further 
exploitation may lead to shortages or  undesirable environmental impacts. 
The biofuels issues in the Directive were the subject of the last related public consultation 
exercise. The proposal submitted to consultation pr oposed three sustainability criteria: a) land 
with high carbon stocks should not be convert ed for biofuel productio n; b) land with high 
biodiversity should not be converted for biof uel production; c) biofuels should achieve a  
EN 6   EN minimum level of greenhouse gas savings (carb on stock losses from land use change would 
not be included in the calculation). In the resp onses, there is general support for such criteria 
from most respondents, with many proposing further reinforcements to the scheme. 
• Collection and use of expertise 
Scientific/expertise domains concerned  
In order to answer the question whether the EU  should adopt quantified targets for the share 
of renewable energy in 2020 and if so, for what  amount and what form, several analyses and 
studies have been realised including the contribution of external experts. 
Methodology used  
For the modelling exercise various scenarios using the PRIMES and Green-X models have 
been carried out for the EU-27. 
Main organisations/experts consulted  
Several studies have been carried out and used in  order to define the different elements of the 
proposal. These include the FORRES 2020 report: "Analysis of the EU renewable energy 
sources' evolution up to 2020, April 2005"; the OP TRES report: "Analysis of barriers for the 
development of electricity generation from renewable energy sources in the EU-25", May 
2006; the RE-GO project "Renewable Energy Guarantees of Origin: implementation, 
interaction and utiliz ation", European Commission Cont ract No 4.1030/C/02-025/2002; the E-
TRACK project "A European Standard for the tr acking of electricity", European Commission 
Contract No EIE/04/141/S07.38594; the PROGR ESS project "Promotion and growth of 
renewable energy sources and systems", Eur opean Commission Contract No TREN/D1/42-
2005/S07.56988; and the report by MVV Consulting, June 2007: "Heating and cooling from 
renewable energies: cost of na tional policies and administrative barriers". Regarding biofuels 
target impact on food prices, the study carr ied out by the Zentrum für Europaïsche 
Wirtschaftsforschung (ZEW) (2007): "Competitiv eness effects of trading emissions and 
fostering technologies to meet  the EU Kyoto targets", 2007. 
Means used to make the exper t advice publicly available  
Most of the studies used have been publishe d or are available on the Europa website, 
including the OPTRES projec t with contract No.: EIE/ 04/073/S07.38567 (www.optres.fhg.de) 
Progress report, 2007 "Identification of administra tive and grid barriers to the promotion of 
electricity from Renewable En ergy Sources" published at:  
http://ec.europa.eu/energy/res/c onsultation/admin_ba rriers_en.htm.  
The MVV Consulting report on "Heating and coo ling from renewable energies: cost of 
national policies and administrativ e barriers" is available at:  
http://ec.europa.eu/energy/res/ sectors/heat_from_res_en.htm. 
• Impact assessment 
The impact assessment explores the a ssociated options, described below: 
• In what units should renewable energy target s be expressed? The impact assessment 
compares options for expressing the target s in terms of primar y or final energy  
EN 7   EN consumption and concludes in favour of the la tter, as it does not discriminate between 
different types of renewable energy and account ing in primary energy gives greater weight 
to thermal and nuclear energy and therefore in creases in these energy sources would make 
the achievement of any given renewabl e energy share harder to achieve.  
• How should the 20% commitment be shared be tween Member States? Different methods 
are assessed, including modelled resource potential in each Memb er State, applying a flat-
rate increase for all Member States, and m odulating results by GDP to reflect fairness and 
cohesion. The conclusion is that a flat-rate  approach modulated by GDP is the most 
appropriate as it provides a simple common, fa ir increase for all Member States. When 
weighted by GDP, the result reflects the wealth  of the different Member States, and when 
modulated to take account of early progr ess in developing renewables, the result 
recognises the role "early starters" have play ed in leading the development of renewable 
energy in Europe and also reflects an overall cap on the targeted share of renewable energy in 2020 in individual Member States. 
• How can cross border transfers in renewables  be improved (through the use of guarantees 
of origin) to help Member States achieve th eir commitments – including the possibility of 
renewable energy consumed in one Member Stat e counting towards the targets of another? 
Options of standardising the guarantees of orig in already applied in the electricity sector 
are examined together with the possible expansion of scope  beyond the electricity sector 
and various degrees of transfer ability of guarantees of origi n. It is suggested that the 
guarantee of origin regime can be substantia lly improved and standa rdised and that its 
scope could be extended to la rge scale heating and cooling. 
• What administrative and market barriers to the development of renewable energy can be 
removed? A range of planning rules, admini strative procedures and market information 
failures are examined and requirements or r ecommendations to remove them are proposed 
(such as creating "one-stop-shops", ensuri ng charges are proportiona te, granting mutual 
recognition of certification, settin g planning deadlines, greater provision of information to 
public and professionals, an d establishing minimum leve ls of renewable energy 
consumption in new buildings). 
• What criteria and monitoring methods can be  used to form a biofuels sustainability 
regime? A wide range of opti ons are explored, and it is s uggested that such a system 
should include minimum levels of greenhouse gas performance, criteria on biodiversity 
and rewards for the use of feedstock dive rsifying the raw material pool such as 
lignocellulosic material for the production of second genera tion biofuels. It is appropriate 
to leave verification to Member States (w hilst encouraging multinational certification 
schemes); the penalty regime for failing to meet  the criteria should be consistent across the 
single market and include exclusion from tax breaks, the barring of such biofuels from 
biofuel obligations and national ta rgets. Finally, the actual "t racing" of the biofuels will 
require physical tracking, so that  biofuels fulfilling the sust ainability criteria can be 
identified and rewarded with a premium in the market.  
EN 8   EN 3. LEGAL ELEMENTS OF THE PROPOSAL  
• Summary of the proposed action 
The proposed Directive lays down the principles  according to which Member States need to 
ensure that the share of renewable energy in th e EU final energy consumption reaches at least 
20% by 2020, and establishes national overall targets for each Member State.  
Three sectors are concerned in renewable en ergy: electricity, heating and cooling and 
transport. The overall approach is for Member Stat es to retain discretion as to the mix of these 
sectors in reaching their national target. However,  it is proposed that each Member State shall 
achieve at least a 10% sh are of renewable energy (primarily biofuels) in the transport sector 
by 2020. This is done for the following reasons: (1) the trans port sector is  the sector 
presenting the most rapid increase in greenhouse gas emissions of all sectors of the economy; 
(2) biofuels tackle the oil depe ndence of the transport sector, wh ich is one of the most serious 
problems of insecurity in energy supply that th e EU faces; (3) biofuels are currently more 
expensive to produce than other forms of re newable energy, which might mean that they 
would hardly be developed w ithout a specific requirement. 
Specifically for biofuels and other bioliquids, the Directive sets up a system to guarantee the 
environmental sustainability of the policy, ensuring inter alia that the biofuels counting 
towards the targets achieve a minimum level of greenhouse gas savings. 
• Legal basis 
The Proposal will be made on the basis of Article  175(1) of the Treaty in combination with 
Article 95. While a single legal base is preferred, it is recogni sed that a dual legal base is 
appropriate where a measure cont ains provisions based on differe nt parts of the Treaty. Both 
these legal bases imply the use of the co-decision procedure. 
The majority of the Proposal falls under Arti cle 175(1) (environment). This Article gives the 
Community power to act to preserve, protect and improve the quality of the environment, 
protect human health and make pr udent and rational use of natura l resources. These objectives 
are pursued by this Directive.  
However, Articles 15, 16 and 17 of the Pr oposal impose binding ob ligations on Member 
States regarding the sustainabil ity of biofuels and other bioli quids. While the sustainability 
criteria themselves obviously pursue an aim of  environmental protection, the Directive also 
prevents Member States from adopting cert ain measures which would obstruct trade in 
biofuels or raw materials. Th e Directive thus aims for a co mplete harmonisation of biofuel 
sustainability criteria in order to ensure that no criteria adopted individually by Member States 
may constitute an obstacle to trad e between Member States. For th is element of the Directive, 
the internal market is therefore considered to be the primary objective. This assessment is not 
altered by the fact that environmental protection is also an important go al, since Article 95(3) 
EC expressly provides for a high level of protec tion of the environment to be aimed for in 
measures to complete the internal market. The Commission therefore considers that the 
provisions of harmonised standards for biofue l sustainability fall under Article 95 (internal 
market). 
In general, renewable energy is a close subs titute for conventional energy and is supplied 
through the same infrastructure and logistic  systems. All Member States already use  
EN 9   EN renewable energy and all have already decided to  increase renewable energy's share. For these 
reasons, the proposal will not significantly affect Member St ates' choice between different 
energy sources or the general st ructure of their en ergy supply and does not fall under Article 
175(2) of the Treaty. 
• Subsidiarity principle 
The subsidiarity principle applies insofar as  the Proposal does not fall under the exclusive 
competence of the Community. 
The objectives of the Proposal cannot be suffici ently achieved by the Member States for the 
following reasons: 
It is clear from the experience with the pr omotion of renewable energy sources in the 
European Union that real progress only began to  be made when the European Union adopted 
legislative instruments containing targets to be reached by a given deadline. This is true for 
Directive 2001/77/EC on the promotion of elect ricity from renewable energy sources and for 
Directive 2003/30/EC on the promotion of the use of biofuels. No such legal framework exists 
to promote the penetration of renewable energy sources in the heating and cooling sector. The 
development of renewable energy in this sector is nearly stagnant. 
The European Council has concluded that the Eu ropean Union needs to collectively achieve a 
20% share of renewable energy sources in fi nal energy consumption by 2020 for reasons of 
security of supply, of environmental protecti on and for reasons of competitiveness of the 
renewable sector, which is currently a world leader in many sectors.  
Leaving action to the Member States would put the achievement of this share at risk and 
would not realise an equitable distribution of th e efforts needed to arrive at the 20% overall 
share. In addition, leavi ng action completely to the Member St ates would also create investor 
uncertainty as to the objectives to be reach ed and the pathway toward these objectives. 
In addition to the targets, the Directive addresses means to support the development of 
renewable energy, such as administrative pro cedures, planning, construction and information 
and training. For electricity from renewable ener gy sources it tackles grid system issues, such 
as access to the grid, and develops the role of the guarantees of origin. These measures build 
on existing provisions of Dir ective 2001/77/EC and of Dir ective 2002/91/EC on the energy 
performance of buildings, and provide for a co mmon approach for the benefit of renewable 
energy producers and consumers across th e Community. A Commun ity approach to 
promoting renewables by these means is propor tionate, because the leve l of ambition of the 
target requires coordinated action which addre sses the sectors where most progress can be 
made. 
Community action in the field of biofuel sustai nability is justified, because it avoids the 
development of multiple national schemes whic h might impede trade to and within the 
Community. 
In the Proposal, Member States retain wide  discretion to favour the development of the 
renewable energy sector in the way that suits their national potential and circumstances best, 
including the option of achievi ng their targets by supporting the development of renewable 
energy in other Member States.   
EN 10   EN The Proposal therefore complies with  the subsidiarity principle. 
• Proportionality principle and choice of instruments 
The Proposal complies with the proportiona lity principle for the following reasons: 
An overall objective could not be  reached without overall comm itment, expressed in legally 
binding targets. As energy po licy problems are threatening the Community as a whole, 
responses should be articulat ed at the same level. 
The instrument chosen is a Directive that ha s to be implemented by the Member States. A 
Directive is the appropriate instrument for th e promotion of renewable energy sources as it 
clearly defines the objectives to be reached, wh ile leaving Member States sufficient flexibility 
to implement the Directive in the way that suits their particular national circumstances best. It 
goes further than a framework Directive in that  it is more precise on objectives and more 
detailed on measures to be taken. 
The Directive sets an overall binding target fo r the European Union of  20% renewable energy 
by 2020. In addition, it sets a 10% binding minimum ta rget for the market share of biofuels in 
2020 to be observed by all Member States. 
For the rest, the Member States are free to  develop the renewable energy sector that 
corresponds best to their national situation and po tential, provided they collectively reach the 
20% target.  
The level of constraint imposed is thus  proportionate to the objective aimed at. 
4. B UDGETARY IMPLICATION  
The Proposal has no implication for the Community budget. 
5. A DDITIONAL INFORMATION  
• Simplification 
The Proposal provides for simplification of legislation. 
Currently there are two Directives in the fi eld of renewable energy: for electricity and 
biofuels. The third sector, heating and cooling has not been  legislated at Eur opean level so far. 
The 2020 target setting and revision of the rene wable energy sector offers an opportunity to 
propose one comprehensive Directive legislating all the three sectors of renewable energies. 
This makes it possible to put in place indivisible measures in th e different sectors, to address 
cross cutting issues (e.g. ad ministrative barriers).  
A single Directive and single national action plans will encourage Member States to think of 
energy policy in a more integrated way concen trating on the best a llocation of efforts. 
Reporting is currently required under  both Directives; it will be replaced with a single report 
under the proposed new Directive.  
EN 11   EN • Repeal of existing legislation 
The adoption of the Proposal will lead to the repeal of existing legislation. 
• Review/revision/sunset clause 
The Proposal includes several review clauses. 
• Recasting 
The Proposal does not involve recasting. 
• Correlation table 
The Member States are required to communicat e to the Commission the text of national 
provisions transposing the Directive as well as  a correlation table be tween those provisions 
and this Directive. 
• European Economic Area (EEA) 
The proposed act concerns an EEA matter and should therefore extend to the European 
Economic Area.  
EN 12   EN 2008/0016 (COD) 
Proposal for a 
DIRECTIVE OF THE EUROPEAN PA RLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL  
on the promotion of the use of  energy from renewable sources 
 
(Text with EEA relevance) 
THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE CO UNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION, 
Having regard to the Treaty esta blishing the European Communit y, and in particular Article 
175(1) thereof and Article 95 thereof  
Having regard to the proposal from the Commission1, 
Having regard to the opinion of the Eu ropean Economic and Social Committee2, 
Having regard to the opinion of  the Committee of the Regions3, 
Acting in accordance with the procedure laid down in Article 251 of the Treaty4, 
Whereas: (1) The increased use of energy from renewabl e sources constitutes an important part of 
the package of measures need ed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and comply with 
the Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations  Framework Convention on Climate Change, 
and with further European and intern ational greenhouse gas emission reduction 
commitments beyond 2012. It also has an important  part to play in promoting security 
of energy supply, promoting technologica l development and providing opportunities 
for employment and regional developmen t, especially in rural areas.  
(2) In particular, increased use of biofuels fo r transport is one of the most effective tools 
by which the Community can reduce its de pendence on imported oil – where the 
security of supply problem is most acute - and influence the fuel market for transport. 
(3) Directive 2001/77/EC of the European Pa rliament and of the Council of 27 September 
2001 on the promotion of electricity produced  from renewable energy sources in the 
internal electricity market
5 and Directive 2003/30/EC of th e European Parliament and 
of the Council of 8 May 2003 on the promoti on of the use of biofuels or other 
                                                 
1 OJ C , , p. . 
2 OJ C , , p. . 
3 OJ C , , p. . 
4 OJ C , , p. . 
5 OJ L 283, 27.10.2001, p. 33. Directive as last amended by Council Directive 2006/108/EC (OJ L 363, 
20.12.2006, p. 414).  
EN 13   EN renewable fuels for transport6 established definitions for different types of renewable 
energy. Directive 2003/54/EC of the European  Parliament and of the Council of 26 
June 2003 concerning common rules for the internal market in  electricity and 
repealing Directive 96/92/EC7 established definitions for the electricity sector in 
general. In the interests of stability and clarity it is appropriate to use the same 
definitions in this Directive.  
(4) The Renewable Energy Roadmap8 demonstrated that a 20% target for the overall share 
of energy from renewable sources and a 10% target for renewable energy in transport would be appropriate and ach ievable objectives, and that a framework that includes 
mandatory targets should provide the business community with the long term stability 
it needs to make rational investment deci sions in the renewable energy sector.  
(5) The Brussels European Council of March 2007 reaffirmed the Community's 
commitment to the Community-wide deve lopment of renewable energies beyond 
2010. It endorsed a mandatory target of a 20%  share of renewable energies in overall 
Community energy consumption by 2020 and a mandatory 10% minimum target to be 
achieved by all Member States for the share of  biofuels in transpor t petrol and diesel 
consumption by 2020, to be introduced in a cost-effective way. It stated that the 
binding character of the biofuel target is  appropriate subject to production being 
sustainable, second-generation biofuels  becoming commercially available and 
Directive 98/70/EC of the European Parlia ment and of the Counc il of 13 October 1998 
relating to the quality of petrol and diesel fuels an d amending Council Directive 
93/12/EEC
9 being amended to allow for adequate levels of blending.  
(6) The main purpose of binding targets is to  provide certainty for investors. Deferring a 
decision about whether a target  is binding until a future ev ent takes place is thus not 
appropriate. In a statement to the minutes of the Council of 15 February 2007, the 
Commission therefore stated th at it did not consider that  the binding nature of the 
target should be deferred until second generation biofuels became commercially 
available.  
(7) The European Parliament, in its Resolution on the Roadmap for Renewable Energy in 
Europe, has called on the Commission to pr esent by the end of 2007 a proposal for a 
renewable energy legislative framework, refe rring to the importance of setting targets 
for the shares of energy from renewabl e sources at Community and Member State 
level.  
(8) In the light of the positions taken by the Commission, the Council and the European 
Parliament, it is appropriate to establish ma ndatory targets for an overall 20% share of 
renewable energy and a 10% share of renewa ble energy in transport in the European 
Union's consumption in 2020.  
(9) Member States' starting point s, renewable energy potential s and energy mixes vary. It 
is therefore necessary to translate the overa ll 20% target into individual targets for 
                                                 
6 OJ L 123, 17.5.2003, p. 42. 
7 OJ L 176, 15.7.2003, p. 37. 
8 COM(2006) 848. 
9 OJ L 350, 28.12.1998, p. 58. Directive as last amended by Regulation (EC) No 1882/2003 (OJ L 284, 
31.10.2003, p. 1).  
EN 14   EN each Member State, with due regard to a fa ir and adequate allocation taking account of 
different national starting points and poten tials, including the existing level of 
renewable energies and energy mix. It is appropriate to do this by sharing the required 
total increase in the use of energy from re newable sources between Member States on 
the basis of an equal increase in each Memb er State's share weighted by their Gross 
Domestic Product, modulated to reflect na tional starting points, and by accounting in 
terms of final energy consumption.. 
(10) By contrast, it is appropria te for the 10% target for renewa ble energy in transport to be 
set at the same level for each Member State in  order to ensure consistency in transport 
fuel specifications and availability. Because transport fuels are traded easily, Member 
States with low endowments of  the relevant resources will easily be able to obtain 
renewable transport fuels from elsewhere. While it would technically be possible for 
the Community to meet its biofuel target solely from domestic production, it is both 
likely and desirable that the target will in fact be met through a combination of 
domestic production and imports. To this end, the Commission should monitor the 
supply of the Community market for biof uels, and should, as  appropriate, propose 
relevant measures to achieve a balanced  approach between domestic production and 
imports, taking into account the development of multilateral and bilateral trade negotiations as well as environmental, cost, energy security and other considerations.  
(11) To ensure that the over all targets are achieved, Member States should work towards a 
an indicative trajectory trac ing a path towards the achieve ment of their targets, and 
should establish a national action plan includi ng sectoral targets, while having in mind 
that there are different uses of biomass a nd therefore it is essential to mobilise new 
biomass resources.  
(12) To permit the benefits of technological advance and economies of scale to be reaped, 
the indicative trajectory should take into account the possibility  of a more rapid 
growth in the use of energy from renewable s ources in later years. In this way, special 
attention can be given to se ctors that disproportionately suffer from the absence of 
technological advance and economies of s cale and therefore re main under-developed, 
but which in future could significantly contribute to reaching the targets for 2020. 
(13) The path should take 2005 as its starting poi nt because that is the latest year for which 
reliable data on national renewabl e energy shares are available. 
(14) It is necessary to set unambiguous rule s for calculating the share of energy from 
renewable sources. 
(15) In calculating th e contribution of hydropower, the eff ects of climatic variation should 
be smoothed through the use of a normalisation rule. 
(16) Heat pumps using geothermal resources from the ground or wa ter, and heat pumps 
using ambient heat from the air to transfer the thermal energy to a useful temperature 
level, need electricity to function. Heat pumps using ambi ent heat from the air often 
require the use of significant amounts of c onventional energy. Therefore, only useful 
thermal energy coming from heat pumps using am bient heat from the air that meet the 
minimum requirements of the coefficient of  performance established in Commission  
EN 15   EN Decision 2007/742/EC10, in accordance with Regulation (EC) No 1980/2000 of the 
European Parliament and of the Council of 17 July 2000 on a revised Community eco-
label award scheme11, should be taken into account  for the purpose of measuring 
compliance with the targets established by this Directive.  
(17) Passive energy systems use building design to  harness energy. This is considered to be 
saved energy. Therefore, to avoid double counting, energy harnessed in this way 
should not be taken into account for the purposes of this Directive. 
(18) Imported electricity, produced from re newable energy sources outside the Community, 
may count towards Member States' targets.  However, to avoid a net increase in 
greenhouse gas emissions through the divers ion of existing renewable sources and 
their complete or partial replacement by conventional energy sour ces, only electricity 
generated by renewable energy installations  that become operational after the entry 
into force of this Directive should be eligible to be c ounted. To ensure that such 
imports can be tracked and accounted for in a re liable way, it is appropriate for them to 
take place within the framework of a system of guarantees of origin. Agreements with 
third countries concerning the organisation of  this trade in electricity from renewable 
energy sources will be considered. 
(19) To create opportuni ties for reducing the cost of achiev ing the targets laid down in this 
Directive, it is appropriate both to facilitate the consumption in Member States of 
energy produced from renewable sources in other Member States, and also to enable 
Member States to count electricity, heatin g and cooling consumed in other Member 
States towards their own national targets.  For this reason, harmonised provisions for 
the design and transfer of guarantees of or igin in these sectors should be adopted. 
(20) The obligatory issuing, on request, of gua rantees of origin fo r heating or cooling 
produced from renewable energy sources, should  be limited to plants with a capacity 
of at least 5 MW th, in order to avoid the unnecessarily  high administrative burdens that 
would be imposed if smaller installations, including those in households, were to be 
included. 
(21) Member States should be able to esta blish systems of prior authorisation for the 
transfer of guarantees of origin  to or from other Member Stat es if they need to do so to 
ensure a secure and balanced energy suppl y, to achieve the environmental objectives 
that underlie their support scheme, or to co mply with the targets laid down in this 
Directive. Such systems should be limited to what is necessary and proportionate and should not constitute a means of arbitrary discrimination. 
(22) Once the system of harmonised guarantees of origin has been tested, the Commission 
should review whether any further changes are needed. 
(23) To avoid interference w ith support schemes granted to existing installations and to 
avoid overcompensation of renewable ener gy producers, only guara ntees of origin 
issued to installations that were commissioned after the date of entry into force of this 
Directive, or for production due to an increase , after that date, in the renewable energy 
capacity of an installation, should be transferable between Member States. 
                                                
 
10 OJ L 301, 20.11.2007, p. 14. 
11 OJ L 237, 21.9.2000, p. 1.  
EN 16   EN (24) The lack of transparent rules and coor dination between the di fferent authorisation 
bodies has been shown to hinder the deploym ent of renewable energy. Therefore the 
specific structure of the rene wable energy sector should be  taken into account when 
national, regional and local au thorities review their administrative procedures for 
giving permission to construc t and operate plants producin g electricity, heating and 
cooling or transport fuels from renewabl e energy sources. Administrative approval 
procedures should be streamlined with clear  deadlines for installations using energy 
from renewable sources. Planning rules and guid elines should be adapted to take into 
consideration cost effective and environm entally beneficial renewable heating and 
cooling and electricity equipment. 
(25) National technical specifi cations and other requirements falling within the scope of 
Directive 98/34/EC of the European Par liament and of the Council of 22 June 1998 
laying down a procedure for th e provision of information in the field of technical 
standards and regulations12, relating for example to levels  of quality, testing methods 
or conditions of use, should not create  barriers for trade in renewable energy 
equipment and systems. Therefore, support schemes for renewable energy should not prescribe national technical specifications which deviat e from existing European 
standards, or require the supported equipment an d systems to be certified or tested in a 
specified location or by a specified entity. 
(26) At national and regional level, rules and obligations for minimum requirements of 
renewable energy use in new and refurbishe d buildings have le d to considerable 
increases in renewable energy use. These m easures should be encouraged in a wider 
European context, while promoting more energy-efficient renewable energy applications in building codes and regulations. 
(27) Information and training gaps, especially  in the heating and cooling sector, should be 
removed in order to encourage the depl oyment of energy from renewable sources 
(28) A coordinated approach is needed to develop training and appr opriate certification 
should be made available to small scale re newable energy equipment installers in 
order to avoid market distortions and to  ensure high quality products and service 
provision for consumers. National cert ification schemes should be mutually 
recognised by Member States  and should therefore be based on minimum harmonised 
principles, taking into account European technology standards, and existing training 
and qualification regimes for renewable energy equipment installers. Directive 2005/36/EC of the European Parliament and of the C ouncil of 7 September 2005 on 
the recognition of pr ofessional qualifications
13 should continue to apply to issues not 
governed by this Directive, such as the recognition of professional qualifications of 
installers not certified in one Member State.  
(29) While Directive 2005/36/EC lays down requirements for the mutual recognition of 
professional qualifications, including for archit ects, there is a further need to ensure 
that architects and planners  properly consider the use of energy from renewable 
sources in their plans and designs. Member  States should therefore provide clear 
                                                 
12 OJ L 204, 21.7.1998. 
13 OJ L 255, 30.9.2005, p. 22.  
EN 17   EN guidance. This should be done without pr ejudice to the provi sions of Directive 
2005/36/EC and in particular Articles 46 and 49 thereof. 
(30) The costs of connecting new producers of electricity from renewable energy sources to 
the electricity grid should be objective, transparent and non-discriminatory and due 
account should be taken of the benefit embedded generators bring to the grid. 
(31) In certain circumstances it is not possible to fully ensu re transmission and distribution 
of electricity produced from renewable ener gy sources without affecting the reliability 
and safety of the grid system. In these circumstances it may be appropriate for 
financial compensation to be given to those producers. 
(32) Directive 2001/77/EC laid down the fram ework for the integration in the grid of 
electricity from renewable energy source s. However, there has been significant 
variation between Member States in the de gree of integration actually achieved. For 
this reason it is necessary to strengthen th e framework and to review its application 
periodically at national level. 
(33) Interconnection among countries eases in tegration of electricity from renewable 
energy sources. Besides smoothing variabilit y, interconnection can reduce balancing 
costs, encourage true competition bringing about lower prices, and support the development of networks. Also, the shari ng and optimal use of transmission capacity 
could help avoid excessive new build. 
(34) Biofuel production shoul d be environmentally sustainable. Biofuels used for 
compliance with the targets laid down in th is Directive, and those that benefit from 
national support systems, should therefore be required to fu lfil criteria for 
environmental sustainability.  
(35) The introduction of environmental sustainabi lity criteria for biofuels will not achieve 
its objective if it leads to products that do not fulfil the criteria and would otherwise 
have been used as biofuels being used, instead, as bioliquids in the heating or 
electricity sectors. For this reason, the environmental sustaina bility criteria should also 
apply to bioliquids in general. 
(36) The Brussels European Council of Ma rch 2007 invited the Co mmission to propose a 
comprehensive Directive on the use of a ll renewable energy sources, which could 
contain criteria and provisions  to ensure sustainable provi sion and use of bioenergy. 
These criteria should form a coherent part of a wider scheme covering also bioliquids 
and not biofuels alone. Such sustainability criteria should therefore be included in this 
Directive. In order to avoid the additional costs to business and the environmental incoherence that would be associated with an  inconsistent approach, it is essential for 
sustainability criteria in respect of biofuels  to be aligned between this Directive and 
Directive 98/70/EC. The Commission should in  addition review in 2010 whether other 
biomass applications should be included. 
(37) If land with high stocks of carbon in its soil or ve getation is converted for the 
cultivation of raw materials for biofuels and other bioliquids, some of the stored 
carbon will generally be released into the atmosphere, leading to the formation of 
carbon dioxide. The negative greenhouse gas imp act of this can offset the positive 
greenhouse gas impact of the biofuels or bi oliquid, in some cases by a wide margin.  
EN 18   EN The full carbon effects of such conversion should therefore be accounted for in 
calculating the greenhouse gas savings of partic ular biofuels and other bioliquids. This 
is necessary to ensure that  the greenhouse gas sa ving calculation take s into account the 
totality of the carbon effects of the us e of biofuels and other bioliquids. 
(38) In order to prevent unn ecessary burdensome research by economic operators and in 
order to prevent conversion of high-carbon-stoc k land that in hindsight would prove to 
be not eligible for producing raw materials for biofuels and othe r bioliquids, those 
types of land whose carbon stock loss upon co nversion could not, w ithin a reasonable 
period taking into account the urgency of tackling climate change, be compensated by the greenhouse gas savings of producing biof uels and other bioli quids, should not be 
converted for the production of biofuels and other bioliquids. Inventories of worldwide 
carbon stocks lead to the conclusion that wetlands and continuously forested areas 
should be included in this category.  
(39) The incentives provided for in this Direc tive for biofuels and ot her bioliquids, and the 
increasing worldwide demand for biofuels an d other bioliquids, s hould not have the 
effect of encouraging the de struction of bio-diverse lands . Such exhaustible resources, 
recognised in various international instrume nts to be of value to all mankind, should 
be preserved. Consumers in the Commun ity, in addition, would find it morally 
unacceptable that their increased use of biof uels and other bioliquids could have the 
effect of destroying bio-di verse lands. For these reasons , it is necessary to provide 
criteria ensuring that biofuels and other bioliquids can only qualify for the incentives 
when it can be guaranteed that they do not originate in bio-diverse land. The criteria 
chosen consider forest as bio-diverse where it is undisturbed by significant human 
activity (following the definition used by the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations, the United Nations Econom ic Commission for Europe and the 
Ministerial Conference on the Pr otection of Forests in Europe
14) or where it is 
protected by national laws for nature pr otection purposes. Further, considering the 
highly biodiverse nature of certain grasslands, it is also appropriate that biofuels made 
from raw materials originating in such lands should not qualify for the incentives 
provided for by this Directive. The Commi ssion should establish appropriate criteria 
and/or geographical ranges to define such  highly biodiverse grasslands in accordance 
with the best available scientific ev idence and relevant international norms.   
(40) Where biofuels and other bioliquids are made from raw material produced in the EU, 
they should also comply with EU environmental requirements for agriculture. Applying such criteria to imports from third countries is administratively and 
technically unfeasible. 
(41) The environmental sustainability criteria w ill only be effective if they lead to changes 
in the behaviour of market actors. Market ac tors will only change  their behaviour if 
biofuels and other bioliquids meeting th e criteria command a price premium compared 
to those that do not. According to the ma ss balance method of verifying compliance, 
there is a physical link between the produc tion of biofuels and other bioliquids 
meeting the criteria and the consumption of  biofuels and other bioliquids in the 
Community, providing an appropriate ba lance between supply and demand and 
                                                
 
14 Temperate and Boreal Forest Resources Assessmen t (2000); Ministerial Conference on the Protection 
of Forests in Europe (2003).  
EN 19   EN ensuring a price premium that is greater th an in systems where there is no such link. 
Therefore to ensure that bi ofuels and other bioliquids  meeting the environmental 
sustainability criteria can be sold at a hi gher price, maintaining the integrity of the 
system while at the same time avoiding imposing an unreasonable burden on industry, the mass balance system should be used to  verify compliance. Other verification 
methods should however be reviewed. 
(42) It is in the interest of the Community to encourage the development of multilateral and 
bilateral agreements, and volunt ary international or nationa l schemes setting standards 
for the production of sustaina ble biofuels and other biol iquids, and certifying that 
production of biofuels and other bioliquids meets those standards. For that reason, 
provision should be made to decide that such  agreements or schemes provide reliable 
evidence and data, provided that they me et adequate standards of reliability, 
transparency and independent auditing. 
(43) It is necessary to lay down clear rules for the calcul ation of greenhouse gas emissions 
from biofuels and other bioliquids and their fossil fuel comparators. 
(44) In the calculation of greenhouse gas emissi ons from the producti on and use of fuels, 
co-products should be accounted for. For po licy analysis purposes the substitution 
method is appropriate. For regulatory purpos es concerning indi vidual operators and 
individual consignments of transport fuel s, the substitution method is not appropriate. 
In these cases the energy allocation method is the most appropriate method to use, 
because it is easy to apply, predictabl e over time, minimises counter-productive 
incentives and gives results that are generally comparable with the range of results given by the substitution method. For policy analysis purposes the Commission should 
also, in its reporting, give resu lts using the substitution method. 
(45) In order to avoid a disp roportionate administrative burden, a list of default values 
should be laid down for common biofuel production pathways. Biofuels and other 
bioliquids should always be entitled to  claim the level of greenhouse gas savings 
established by this lis t. Where the default value fo r greenhouse gas savings from a 
production pathway lies below the required mi nimum level of greenhouse gas savings, 
producers wishing to demonstr ate their compliance with this minimum level should be 
required to show that actual emissions fr om their production proc ess are lower than 
those that were assumed in the ca lculation of the default values. 
(46) In order to avoid encouraging the cultiva tion of raw materials for biofuels and other 
bioliquids in places where this would lead to  high greenhouse gas emissions, the use 
of default values for cultivation should be limited to regions where such an effect can 
reliably be ruled out. 
(47) The requirements for a sustainability sche me for energy uses of biomass, other than 
bioliquids and biofuels, should be analys ed by the Commission by 2010, taking into 
account the need for biomass resources to be managed in a sustainable manner.  
(48) In order to permit the achievement of a 10%  share of biofuels, it is  necessary to ensure 
the placing on the market of higher blends of  biodiesel in diesel than those envisaged 
by standard EN590/2004.  
EN 20   EN (49) In order to ensure that biofuels that diversify the range of fe edstocks used become 
commercially viable, these biofuels should receive an extra wei ghting under national 
biofuel obligations. 
(50) Regular reporting is needed to en sure a continuing focu s on progress in the 
development of renewable energy at  national and Community level. 
(51) Support measures taken pursuant to this Di rective that constitute State aid in the sense 
of Article 87 of the Treaty have to be notified to and approved by the Commission 
before their implementation, pursuant to Article 88(3) of the Treaty. Information 
provided to the Commission on th e basis of this Directive does not substitute for the 
obligation of Member States under the notific ation obligation pursuan t to Article 88(3) 
of the Treaty. 
(52) When designing their support systems, Member States may encourage the use of 
biofuels which give additional benefits – including the benefits of diversification offered by biofuels made from wastes, residues, non-food cellu losic material, and 
ligno-cellulosic material – by taking due account of the different costs of producing 
energy from traditional biofuels on the one hand and of these biofuels which give 
additional benefits on the ot her hand. Member States may encourage investment in the 
development of renewable energy technologies that need time to become competitive.  
(53) Since the primary purpose of the measures  provided for in Articles 15 to 17 of this 
Directive is to ensure the proper functioni ng of the internal market by harmonising the 
conditions of sustainability that biofuels and other bioliquids mu st meet for certain 
purposes and thus facilitating the trade betw een Member States in biofuels and other 
bioliquids which comply with these condi tions, they are based on Article 95 of the 
Treaty. Since the primary purpose of all other measures provided for in this Directive 
is the protection of the environment, they  are based on Article 175(1) of the Treaty. 
(54) The measures necessary for the implementa tion of this Directive should be adopted in 
accordance with Council Decision 1999/468/ EC of 28 June 1999 laying down the 
procedures for the exercise of impl ementing powers conferred on the Commission
15.  
(55) In particular, power should be conferred on the Commission to adapt the 
methodological principles and values necessa ry for assessing whether environmental 
sustainability criteria have been fulfilled in  relation to biofuels and other bioliquids 
and to adapt the energy content of transport fuels to technical and scientific progress. 
Since those measures are of general scope  and are designed to amend non-essential 
elements of this Directive by the adapta tion of the methodological principles and 
values, they must be adopted in line w ith the regulatory pro cedure with scrutiny 
provided for in Article 5a of Decision 1999/468/EC. 
(56) Those provisions of Directive 2001/77/EC and Directive 2003/30/EC  that overlap with 
the provisions of this Directive should be deleted from the latest possible moment for its transposition. Those that deal with targets and reportin g for 2010 should remain in 
force until the end of 2011. It is therefor e necessary to amend Directive 2001/77/EC 
and Directive 2003/30/EC accordingly. 
                                                
 
15 OJ L 184, 17.7.1999, p. 23. Decision as amended by Decision 2006/512/EC (OJ L 200, 22.7.2006, 
p. 11).  
EN 21   EN (57) Since the general objectives of achieving a 20% share of renewable energies in the 
Community's overall energy consumption a nd a 10% share of biofuels in each 
Member State's transport petrol and diesel  consumption by 2020 cannot be sufficiently 
achieved by the Member States and can theref ore, by reason of the scale of the action, 
be better achieved at Community level, the Community may adopt measures, in 
accordance with the principle of subsidiarity as set out in Article 5 of the Treaty. In 
accordance with the principle of proportional ity, as set out in that Article, this 
Directive does not go beyond what is necessary  in order to achieve those objectives. 
HAVE ADOPTED THIS DIRECTIVE: 
Article 1 
Scope 
This Directive establishes a common framewor k for the promotion of energy from renewable 
sources. It sets mandatory targets for the overa ll share of energy from  renewable sources in 
energy consumption and for the share of energy fr om renewable sources in transport. It lays 
down rules relating to guarantees of origin, administrative pro cedures and electricity grid 
connections in relation to en ergy from renewable sources. It establishes environmental 
sustainability criteria for bi ofuels and other bioliquids. 
Article 2 
Definitions  
For the purposes of this Directive, the defi nitions in Directive 2003/54/EC shall apply. 
 The following definitions shall also apply:  
(a) "energy from renewable sources"  means renewable non-fossil energy sources: 
wind, solar, geothermal, wave, tidal, hydr opower, biomass, landfill gas, sewage 
treatment plant gas and biogases; 
(b) "biomass"  means the biodegradable fraction of products, waste and residues 
from agriculture (including vegetal and animal substan ces), forestry and related 
industries, as well as th e biodegradable fraction of  industrial and municipal 
waste; 
(c) "final consumption of energy"  means the energy commodities delivered for 
energy purposes to manufacturing industr y, transport, households, services, 
agriculture, forestry and fisheries, incl uding the consumption of electricity and 
heat by the energy branch for electric ity and heat production and including 
losses of electricity and heat in distribution; 
(d) "district heating or cooling"  means the distribution of thermal energy in the 
form of steam, hot water or chilled liqui ds, from a central source of production 
through a network to multiple buildings, fo r the use of space or process heating 
or cooling; 
(e) "bioliquids"  means liquid fuel for energy pur poses produced from biomass;  
EN 22   EN (f) "biofuels"  means liquid or gaseous fuel for transport produced from biomass; 
(g) "guarantee of origin" means an electronic document which has the function of 
providing proof that a given quantity of  energy was produced from renewable 
sources; 
(h) “support scheme” means a scheme, originating from a market intervention by 
a Member State, that helps energy from renewable sources to find a market by 
reducing the cost of production of this energy, increasing the price at which it 
can be sold, or increas ing, by means of a renewable energy obligation or 
otherwise, the volume of such energy purchased; 
(i) "renewable energy obligation" means a national support scheme requiring 
energy producers to include a given proportion of energy from renewable 
sources in their production, requiring en ergy suppliers to include a given 
proportion of energy from renewable s ources in their supply or requiring 
energy consumers to include a given proportion of energy from renewable 
sources in their consumption. 
Article 3 
Targets for the use of energy from renewable sources 
1. Each Member State shall ensure that the share of energy from renewable sources in 
final consumption of energy in 2020 is at least their overall target for the share of 
energy from renewable sources in  that year, as set out in th e third column of the table 
in Part A of Annex I.  
2. Member States shall introduce appropriate measures to ensure that the share of 
energy from renewable sources equals or  exceeds that shown in the indicative 
trajectory set out in Part B of Annex I. 
3. Each Member State shall ensure that the share of energy from renewable sources in 
transport in 2020 is at least 10% of final c onsumption of energy in transport in that 
Member State.  
 In calculating total energy consumed in transport for the purposes of the first 
subparagraph, petroleum products other than pe trol and diesel sha ll not be taken into 
account.  
Article 4 
National action plans 
1. Each Member State shall a dopt a national action plan.  
 The national action plans shall set out Member States' targets for the shares of energy 
from renewable sources in transport, electricity and heating and cooling in 2020, and adequate measures to be taken to achieve these targets, including national policies to 
develop existing biomass resources and mob ilise new biomass resources for different 
uses, and the measures to be taken to fulfil the requirements of Articles 12 to 17.  
EN 23   EN 2. Member States shall notify their nati onal action plans to the Commission by 31 
March 2010 at the latest. 
3. A Member State whose share of energy from renewable sources fell below the 
indicative trajectory in Part B of Annex 1 in the immediately preceding two-year 
period shall submit a new national action plan  to the Commission by 30 June of the 
following year at the latest, setting out adequa te measures to ensure that in future the 
share of energy from renewable sources equa ls or exceeds the i ndicative trajectory in 
Part B of Annex I.  
Article 5 
Calculation of the share of en ergy from renewable sources 
1. The final consumption of energy from rene wable sources in each Member State shall 
be calculated as the sum of: 
(a) final consumption of electricity  from renewable energy sources; 
(b) final consumption of energy from rene wable sources for heating and cooling; 
and 
(c) final energy from renewable s ources consumed in transport. 
Gas, electricity and hydrogen from re newable energy sources shall only be 
considered once in either 1(a), 1(b) or  1(c) for calculating the share of final 
consumption of energy from renewable sources. 
Biofuels and other bioliquids that do not  fulfil the environmental sustainability 
criteria in Article 15 shall not be taken into account. 
2. Member States may apply to the Comm ission for account to be taken, for the 
purposes of paragraph 1, of the constructi on of renewable energy plants with very 
long lead-times on their territory  under the following conditions: 
(a) construction of the renewable ener gy plant must have started by 2016;  
(b) the renewable energy plant must have  a production capacity equal to or in 
excess of 5000 MW;  
(c) it must not be possible for the plant to become operational by 2020;  
(d) it must be possible for the pl ant to become operational by 2022. 
 The Commission shall decide what adjustment shall be made to the Member State's 
share of energy from renewable sources for the year 2020, taki ng into account the 
state of advancement of c onstruction, the amount of financial support being provided 
to the plant, and the quantity of renewable energy to be produced by the plant in an average year when completed.   
EN 24   EN Acting in accordance with the procedure referred to in Article 21(2), the Commission 
shall develop rules for the implementation of this provision by 31 December 2012 at the latest. 
3. Where a Member State considers that, due to force majeure , it is under an 
impossibility to meet the share of energy from renewable sources in final consumption of energy in 2020 set out in the third column of the table in Annex 1, it 
shall inform the Commission as soon as  possible. The Commission shall adopt a 
decision on whether force majeure  has been demonstrated, in which case it shall 
decide what adjustment shall be made to  the Member State's final consumption of 
energy from renewable sour ces for the year 2020.  
4. For the purposes of paragraph 1(a), final consumption of electricity from renewable 
sources shall be calculated as the quantity of electricity produced in a Member State 
from renewable energy sources, excludi ng the production of electricity by pumped 
storage units using water that has previously been pumped uphill, adjusted in accordance with Article 10.  
 In multi-fuel plants using renewable a nd conventional sources, only the part of 
electricity produced from renewable energy sources shall be taken into account. For 
the purposes of this calcul ation, the contribution of each energy source shall be 
calculated on the basis of its energy content. 
 The electricity generated by hydropower sh all be accounted for in accordance with 
the normalisation rule in Annex II. 
5. For the purposes of paragraph 1(b), the final consumption of energy from renewable 
sources for heating and cooling shall be ca lculated as the consumption of energy 
from renewable sources delivered to ma nufacturing industry, transport, households, 
services, agriculture, forestry and fish eries for heating and cooling purposes, 
including consumption from district heating or cooling of renewable origin, adjusted 
in accordance with Article 10. 
 Thermal energy generated by heat pumps using geothermal energy from the ground 
or water shall be taken into account for the purposes of paragraph 1(b). Thermal energy generated by heat pumps using ambient heat from the air shall be taken into 
account for the purposes of paragraph 1(b), provided that the energy efficiency of 
such heat pumps meets the minimum re quirements of eco-l abelling laid down 
pursuant to Regulation (EC) No 1980/2000, wh ere applicable, in particular the 
minimum coefficient of performance es tablished in Decision 2007/742/EC, and 
reviewed in accordance with that Regulation. 
 Thermal energy generated by passive en ergy systems, under which lower energy 
consumption is achieved passively through bui lding design or from heat generated by 
energy from non-renewable sources, shall not be taken into account for the purposes 
of paragraph 1(b). 
6. The energy content of the transport fuels li sted in Annex III shall be taken to be as 
set out in that Annex. Annex III may be adapted to techni cal and scientific progress. 
Such a measure designed to amend non-essentia l elements of this Directive shall be  
EN 25   EN adopted in accordance with the regulatory procedure with scrutiny referred to in 
Article 21(3).  
7. The share of energy from renewable energy sources shall be calculated as the final 
consumption of energy from renewable sour ces divided by the fi nal consumption of 
energy from all energy sources, expressed as a percentage. 
8. The methodology and definitions used in th e calculation of the share of energy from 
renewable sources shall be those of Re gulation (EC) No xx/ xx on energy statistics16. 
9. Electricity produced from renewable energy sources in third count ries shall only be 
taken into account for the purposes of m easuring compliance with the requirements 
of this Directive concerning national targets if: 
(a) it is consumed in the Community; (b) the electricity is produced by an inst allation that became op erational after the 
date of entry into force of this Directive; and  
(c) the electricity is issued with a guarantee of origin that forms part of a system of 
guarantee of origin equivalent to th at laid down by this Directive. 
Article 6 
Guarantees of origin of electricity, heatin g and cooling produced from renewable energy 
sources 
1. Member States shall ensure that the orig in of electricity pro duced from renewable 
energy sources, and of heating or cooling produced from renewable energy sources 
in plants with a capac ity of at least 5 MW
th, can be guaranteed as such within the 
meaning of this Directive.  
To that end, Member States shall ensure that a guarantee of origin is issued in 
response to a request from a producer of renewable energy. A guarantee of origin 
shall be of the standard size of 1 MWh. No more than one guarantee of origin shall 
be issued in respect of ea ch MWh of energy produced. 
2. Guarantees of origin shall be issued, transferred and cancelle d electronically. They 
shall be accurate, reliable and fraud-resistant.  
A guarantee of origin sh all specify, at least: 
(a) the energy source from which the energy was produced and the starting and 
ending dates of its production;  
(b) whether the guarantee of  origin relates to  
– (i) electricity; or  
– (ii) heating and/or cooling; 
                                                 
16 [Energy Statistics Regulation].  
EN 26   EN (c) the identity, location, type and capacity  of the installation where the energy 
was produced, and the date of the installation's becoming operational; 
(d) the date and country of issue and a unique identification number; 
(e) the amount and type of any investment aid that has been given for the 
installation. 
3. Member States shall recognise guarantees of  origin issued by othe r Member States in 
accordance with this Directive. Any refu sal by a Member State to recognise a 
guarantee of origin shall be based on obj ective, transparent and non-discriminatory 
criteria.  
In the event of refusal to recognise a guarantee of orig in, the Commission may adopt 
a Decision requiring the Member Stat e in question to recognise it.  
4. Member States shall ensure that all guarant ees of origin to be issued in respect of 
renewable energy generated in a given calendar year are is sued, at the latest, three 
months after the end of that year. 
Article 7 
Competent bodies and registers of guarantees of origin 
1. Each Member State shall designate a single competent body to undertake the 
following tasks: 
(a) establish and maintain a national register of guarantees of origin;  
(b) issue guarantees of origin;  (c) record any transfer of  guarantees of origin;  
(d) cancel guarantees of origin; (e) publish an annual report on the quanti ties of guarantees of  origin issued, 
transferred to or from each of th e other competent bodies and cancelled. 
2. The competent body shall not carry out any energy generation, trade, supply or 
distribution activities. 
3. The national register of guarantees of origin shall record the guaran tees of origin held 
by each person. A guarantee of origin shall only be held in one register at one time.  
Article 8 
Submission of guarantees of  origin for cancellation  
1. A guarantee of origin, corresponding to the unit of energy in question, shall be 
submitted for cancellation to a competent body designated in accord ance with Article 
7 when:  
EN 27   EN (a) the production of a unit of electricity  from renewable energy sources, or the 
production of a unit of heating or cooli ng from renewable energy sources in a 
plant with a capacity  of at least 5 MW th, receives support in th e form of feed-in 
tariff payments, premium payments, tax re ductions or payments resulting from 
calls for tenders, in which case the guarantee shall be submitted to the 
competent body designated by the Member St ate that established the system of 
support; 
(b) a unit of electricity produced from renewable energy sources, or a unit of 
heating or cooling produced from rene wable energy sources in a plant with a 
capacity of at least 5 MW th, is taken into account for the purposes of assessing 
an entity's compliance with a renewable energy obligation, in which case the 
guarantee of origin shall be submitted to the competent body designated by the 
Member State that establ ished the obligation; or 
(c) an energy supplier or energy consumer c hooses to use a guarantee of origin for 
the purpose of proving the share or quant ity of renewable energy in its energy 
mix, without claiming the benefits of a support scheme in accordance with 
points (a) and (b); in this case, the guarantee of origin shall be submitted to the competent body designated by the Member State in which the energy described 
by the energy mix in question is consumed. 
2. Where an operator has submitted one or more guarantees of origin to a competent 
body in accordance with paragraphs 1( a) or (b), the operator shall: 
(a) request guarantees of origin, in accor dance with Article 6(1), for all future 
production of renewable energy sources  from the same installation; 
(b) submit these guarantees of origin for cancellation to the same competent body.  
3. Guarantees of origin shall not be submitted to a competent body for cancellation 
more than 1 year after their date of issue. 
Article 9 
Transfer of guarantees of origin  
1. Member States whose share of energy from  renewable sources equalled or exceeded 
the indicative trajectory in Part B of Anne x I in the immediately preceding two-year 
period may request the competent bodies desi gnated in accordance with Article 7 to 
transfer the guarantees of origin submitte d for cancellation under Article 8(1) to 
another Member State. Such guarantees of  origin shall immedi ately be cancelled by 
the competent body in the receiving Member State. 
2. Member States may provide for a system of  prior authorisation for the transfer of 
guarantees of origin to or from persons in other Member States if , in the absence of 
such a system, the transfer of guarantees of origin to or from the Member State 
concerned is likely to impair their ability to ensure a secure and balanced energy 
supply or is likely to undermine the achie vement of the environmental objectives 
underlying their support scheme.   
EN 28   EN Member States may provide for a system of  prior authorisation for the transfer of 
guarantees of origin to  persons in other Member States  if in the absence of such a 
system, the transfer of guarantees  of origin is likely to im pair their ability to comply 
with Article 3(1) or to ensure that the sh are of energy from rene wable sources equals 
or exceeds the indicative trajectory in Part B of Annex I.  
The system of prior authorisation sha ll not constitute a means of arbitrary 
discrimination. 
3. Subject to the provisions adopted pursuant to paragraph 2, guarantees of origin may 
be transferred between persons in different  Member States provi ded they have been 
issued in relation to ener gy produced from renewable so urces by installations that 
became operational after the date of en try into force of this Directive. 
 Such transfer may accompany the transfer of the energy to which the guarantee of 
origin relates, or may be sepa rate from any such transfer. 
4. Member States shall notify the Commission of  any system of prior authorisation they 
intend to have in force pursuant to paragr aph 2, and any subsequent  changes thereto.  
The Commission shall publish that information. 
5. By 31 December 2014 at the latest, dependi ng on data availability , the Commission 
shall assess the implementation of the provisions of this Directive for the transfer of guarantees of origin between Member States  and the costs and benefits of this. It 
shall, if appropriate, submit proposals to the European Parliament and to the Council.  
Article 10 
Effects of the cancellation of the guarantees of origin  
 When a competent body cancels a guarantee of origin that it did not itself issue, an 
equivalent quantity of ener gy from renewable sources shall, for the purposes of 
measuring compliance with the requirements of this Directive concerning national 
targets: 
(a) be deducted from the quantity of ener gy from renewable sources that is taken 
into account, in relation to the year of production of the energy specified in the guarantee of origin, in measuring co mpliance by the Member State of the 
competent body that issued th e guarantee of origin; and 
(b) be added to the quantity of energy fr om renewable sources that is taken into 
account, in relation to the year of produc tion of the energy specified in the 
guarantee of origin, in measuring co mpliance by the Member State of the 
competent body that cancelled the guarantee of origin.  
Article 11 
Capacity increases   
For the purpose of Article 5(9), Article 6(2), Ar ticle 8(2) and Article 9(3) units of renewable 
energy imputable to an increase in the capacity of  an installation shall be treated as if they  
EN 29   EN were produced by a separate installation beco ming operational at the moment at which the 
increase of capacity occurred.  
Article 12 
Administrative procedures , regulations and codes 
1. Member States shall ensure that any na tional rules concerning the authorisation, 
certification and licensing procedures that ar e applied to plants for the production of 
electricity, heating or cooling from re newable sources, and to the process of 
transformation of biomass into biofuels or other energy produc ts, are proportionate 
and necessary.  
Member States shall, in particular, ensure that: (a) the respective responsibilities of nati onal, regional and local administrative 
bodies for authorisation, certification a nd licensing procedures are clearly 
defined, with precise deadlines for approving planning and building applications; 
(b) administrative procedures are stream lined and expedited at the appropriate 
administrative level;  
(c) rules governing authorisation, certif ication and licensing are objective, 
transparent and non-discriminatory, and take fully into account the particularities of individual renewable energy technologies;  
(d) clear guidelines are established for coordination between administrative bodies, 
concerning time limits and the receipt and handling of planning and permit applications;  
(e) administrative charges paid by consum ers, planners, architects, builders and 
equipment and system installers and supp liers are transparent and cost-related; 
(f) less burdensome authorisation procedures  are established for smaller projects; 
and 
(g) mediators are designated to act in dis putes between applicants and authorities 
responsible for issuing authorisat ions, certificates and licenses. 
2. Member States shall clearly define any t echnical specifications which must be met 
by renewable energy equipment and syst ems in order to benefit from support 
schemes. Where European standards exist, including eco-labels, energy labels and other technical reference systems establishe d by the European standardisation bodies, 
such technical specifications  shall be expressed in term s of those standards. Such 
technical specifications shall not prescrib e where the equipment and systems are to 
be certified. 
3. Member States shall requir e local and regional administrative bodies to consider the 
installation of equipment and systems for the use of hea ting, cooling and electricity 
from renewable sources and for distri ct heating and cooling when planning, 
designing, building and refurbishing industrial or residential areas.  
EN 30   EN 4. In their building regulations and codes Member States shall require the use of 
minimum levels of energy from renewable sources in new or refurbished buildings. 
Any exemption from those minimum levels sh all be transparent and based on criteria 
relating to: 
(a) the use of passive, low or zero energy buildings; or  (b) local limitations in the availabil ity of renewable energy resources.  
5. With respect to their building regulations  and codes, Member States shall promote 
the use of renewable energy heating and cooling systems and equipment  that achieve 
a significant reduction of energy consumpti on. Member States shall use energy or 
eco-labels or other appropriate certificates  or standards devel oped at national or 
European level, where these exist, as  the basis for encouraging such systems and 
equipment. 
 In the case of biomass, Member States shall promote conversion technologies that 
achieve a conversion efficiency of at least 85% for residential and commercial 
applications and at least 70% for industrial applications. 
In the case of heat pumps, Member States  shall promote heat pumps which achieve 
the minimum requirements of eco-labelli ng established in De cision 2007/742/EC.  
 In the case of solar energy, Member States  shall promote equipment and systems that 
achieve a conversion efficiency of at least 35%.  
In assessing the conversion efficiency and input/output ratio of systems and 
equipment for the purposes of this paragr aph, Member States shall use Community 
or, failing these, international proced ures if such procedures exist. 
Article 13 
Information and training  
1. Member States shall ensure  that information on support m easures is made available 
to consumers, builders, inst allers, architects and suppliers of heating, cooling and 
electricity equipment and systems and of ve hicles compatible with the use of high 
biofuel blends or pure biofuels.  
2. Member States shall ensure that informa tion on the net benefits, cost and energy 
efficiency of equipment and systems for th e use of heating, c ooling and electricity 
from renewable sources is made available either by the supplier of the equipment or 
system or by the national competent authorities. 
3. Member States shall develop certificati on schemes for installers of small-scale 
biomass boilers and stoves, solar photovolta ic and solar thermal systems and heat 
pumps. Those schemes shall be based on th e criteria laid down in Annex IV. Each 
Member State shall recognise certificati on awarded by other Member States in 
accordance with these criteria. 
4. Member States shall develop guidance for planners and architects so that they are 
able properly to consider the use of ener gy from renewable sources and of district  
EN 31   EN heating and cooling when planning, desi gning, building and renovating industrial or 
residential areas. 
Article 14 
Access to the electricity grid 
1. Member States shall take the necessary steps to develop grid infrastructure to 
accommodate the further development of electricity production from renewable energy sources, including interconne ctors between Member States. 
2. Without prejudice to the maintenance of the reliability and safety of the grid, 
Member States shall ensure that transmission system operators and distribution system operators in their territory guara ntee the transmission and distribution of 
electricity produced from renewable ener gy sources. They shall also provide for 
priority access to the grid system of el ectricity produced from renewable energy 
sources. When dispatching electricity gene rating installations, transmission system 
operators shall give priority to genera ting installations us ing renewable energy 
sources insofar as the security of th e national electricity system permits.  
3. Member States shall require transmission system operators and distribution system 
operators to set up and publish their standard  rules relating to th e bearing and sharing 
of costs of technical adapta tions, such as grid connectio ns and grid reinforcements, 
which are necessary in orde r to integrate new producers feeding electricity produced 
from renewable energy sources into the interconnected grid. 
 These rules shall be based on objective, tr ansparent and non-discri minatory criteria 
taking particular account of all the costs and benefits associated with the connection 
of these producers to the gr id and of the particular circumstances of producers 
located in peripheral regions and in regions of low population density. The rules may provide for different types of connection.  
4. Where appropriate, Member States may re quire transmission system operators and 
distribution system operators to bear, in full or in part, the costs referred to in 
paragraph 3. Member States shall review a nd take the necessary measures to improve 
the frameworks and rules for bearing and sh aring of costs referre d to in paragraph 3 
by 30 June 2011 at the latest a nd every two years thereafter to ensure the integration 
of new producers as referre d to in that paragraph.  
5. Member States shall require transmission system operators and distribution system 
operators to provide any new producer wishing to be connect ed to the system with a 
comprehensive and detailed estimate of the costs associated with the connection. 
Member States may allow producers of el ectricity from renewable energy sources 
wishing to be connected to the grid to i ssue a call for tender for the connection work. 
6. The sharing of costs referred in paragra ph 3 shall be enforced by a mechanism based 
on objective, transparent a nd non-discriminatory criteri a taking into account the 
benefits which initially and subseque ntly connected producers as well as 
transmission system operators and distri bution system operators derive from the 
connections.   
EN 32   EN 7. Member States shall ensure that the ch arging of transmission and distribution fees 
does not discriminate against electricity fr om renewable energy s ources, including in 
particular electricity from renewable energy  sources produced in peripheral regions, 
such as island regions, and in regions of low population density.  
8. Member States shall ensure that fees ch arged by transmission system operators and 
distribution system operators for the transmission and distribution of electricity from 
plants using renewable energy sources reflect realisable cost benefits resulting from 
the plant's connection to the network. Such cost benefits could arise from the direct 
use of the low-voltage grid. 
Article 15 
Environmental sustainability criteria for biofuels and other bioliquids 
1. Biofuels and other bioliqui ds shall be taken into acc ount for the purposes listed under 
letters (a), (b) and (c) below onl y if they fulfil the criteria se t out in paragraphs 2 to 5: 
(a) measuring compliance with the requi rements of this Directive concerning 
national targets; 
(b) measuring compliance with renewable energy obligations; 
(c) eligibility for financial support for the consumption of biofuels and other 
bioliquids. 
2. The greenhouse gas emission saving from th e use of biofuels and other bioliquids 
taken into account for the purposes referred to  in paragraph 1 sha ll be at least 35%.  
 In the case of biofuels and other bioliqui ds produced by installations that were in 
operation in January 2008, the first subpa ragraph shall apply from 1 April 2013. 
3. Biofuels and other bioliquids taken into  account for the purposes referred to in 
paragraph 1 shall not be made from raw ma terial obtained from land with recognised 
high biodiversity value, that is to say land th at had one of the following statuses in or 
after January 2008, whether or not the land still has this status: 
(a) forest undisturbed by significant human activity, that is to say, forest where 
there has been no known significant human  intervention or where the last 
significant human intervention was suffici ently long ago to have allowed the 
natural species composition and processe s to have become re-established; 
(b) areas designated for nature protec tion purposes, unless evidence is provided 
that the production of that raw material  did not interfere w ith those purposes;  
(c) highly biodiverse grassla nd, that is to say grassla nd that is species-rich, not 
fertilised and not degraded. 
The Commission shall establish the crite ria and geographic ranges to determine 
which grassland shall be c overed by point (c). Such a measure designed to amend 
non-essential elements of this Directive shall be adopted in accordance with the 
regulatory procedure with scruti ny referred to in Article 21(3).  
EN 33   EN 4. Biofuels and other bioliquids taken into  account for the purposes referred to in 
paragraph 1 shall not be made from raw material obtained from land with high 
carbon stock, that is to say land that had one of the following statuses in January 
2008 and no longer has this status: 
(a) wetlands, that is to say land that is covered with or saturated by water 
permanently or for a significant part of  the year, including pristine peatland; 
(b) continuously forested areas, that is to  say land spanning more than 1 hectare 
with trees higher than 5 metres and a canopy cover of more than 30%, or trees 
able to reach these thresholds in situ ;  
 The provisions in this paragraph shall not apply if at the time the raw material was 
obtained, the land had the same st atus as it had in January 2008. 
5. Agricultural raw materials cultivated in  the Community and used for the production 
of biofuels and other bioliquids taken in to account for the purposes referred to in 
paragraph 1, shall be obtained in accordance with the requirements and standards under the provisions listed in  point A of Anne x III to Council Re gulation (EC) No 
1782/2003
17 under the heading "Environment" and in accordance with the minimum 
requirements for good agricultural and environmental condition defined pursuant to Article 5(1) of that Regulation.  
6. Member States shall not refuse to take into account, for the purposes referred to in 
paragraph 1, biofuel and othe r bioliquids obtained in comp liance with this Article, on 
other grounds of sustainability. 
7. The Commission shall report on requirements for a sustainability scheme for energy 
uses of biomass, other than biofuels and other bioliquids, by 31 December 2010 at 
the latest. The report shall be accompanied, where appropriate, by proposals for a 
sustainability scheme for other energy uses of biomass, to the European Parliament 
and the Council. 
Article 16 
Verification of compliance with the environmen tal sustainability criteria for biofuels and 
other bioliquids 
1. Where biofuels and other bioliquids are to be taken into account for the purposes 
referred to in Article 15(1), Member States  shall require economic operators to show 
that the environmental sustainability criteria set out in Article 15 have been fulfilled. For this purpose they shall require economic operators to use a mass balance system 
providing the following: 
(a) consignments of raw material or biofuel with differing sustainability 
characteristics can be mixed;  
(b) information about the sustainabili ty characteristics and sizes of the 
consignments referred to in point (a) re mains assigned to the mixture; and  
                                                
 
17 OJ L 270, 21.10.2003, p. 56.  
EN 34   EN (c) it is ensured that the sum of all consignments withdrawn from the mixture is 
described as having the same sustainabi lity characteristics, in the same 
quantities, as the sum of all consignments added to the mixture.  
2. The Commission shall report to the Eur opean Parliament and the Council in 2010 
and 2012 on the operation of the mass bala nce verification method described in 
paragraph 1 and on the potential to allow fo r other verification me thods in relation to 
some or all types of raw material or biof uel. In its assessment the Commission shall 
consider those verification methods in which information about sustainability 
characteristics need not remain physically  assigned to particular consignments or 
mixtures. The assessment shall take into account the need to maintain the integrity and effectiveness of the verification system while avoiding imposing an unreasonable burden on industry. The report shall be accompanied, where appropriate, by proposals on allowing other verification methods, to the European 
Parliament and the Council.  
3. Member States shall require economic ope rators to submit reliable information and 
to make available to the Member State, on re quest, the data that we re used to develop 
the information. Member States shall require economic operators to arrange for an adequate standard of independent auditing of the information they submit, and to 
provide evidence that this has been done. The auditing shall verify that the systems 
used by economic operators are accurate, re liable and fraud-resistant. It shall 
evaluate the frequency and methodology of sampling and the robustness of the data. 
4. The Commission may decide that bilatera l and multilateral agreements between the 
Community and third countries demonstrat e that biofuels a nd other bioliquids 
produced from raw materials cultivated in those countries comply with the 
environmental sustainability criteria in paragraphs 3 or 4 of Article 15. 
 The Commission may decide that voluntary national or international schemes setting 
standards for the production of biomass products contain accurate data for the purposes of Article 15 (2) or demonstrate th at consignments of biofuel comply with 
the environmental sustainability criteria in paragraphs 3 or 4 of Article 15. 
 The Commission may decide that national, multinational or international schemes to 
measure greenhouse gas savings contain accura te data for the purposes of Article 
15(2). 
5. The Commission shall only adopt decisions  pursuant to in paragraph 4 if the 
agreement or scheme in question meets adequate standards of reliability, transparency and independent auditing. In the case of schemes to measure 
greenhouse gas savings, such schemes sha ll also comply with the methodological 
requirements in Annex VII.  
6. Decisions pursuant to paragraph 4 shall be  adopted in accordance with the procedure 
referred to in Article 21(2). Such decisions shall be valid for a period of no more than 
5 years.  
7. When an economic operator proffers proof or data obtained in accordance with an 
agreement or scheme that has been the subj ect of a decision pursuant to paragraph 4,  
EN 35   EN a Member State shall not re quire the supplier to prov ide further evidence of 
compliance with the corresponding envir onmental sustainab ility criterion. 
8. At the request of a Member State or on its own initiative the Commission shall 
examine the application of Article 15 in relation to a source of biofuel or other 
bioliquid and, within six months of receipt of a request and in accordance with the 
procedure referred to in Article 21(2), d ecide whether the Member State concerned 
may take biofuel or bioliquid from that s ource into account for th e purposes listed in 
Article 15(1). 
Article 17 
Calculation of the greenhouse gas  impact of biofuels and other  bioliquids 
1. The greenhouse gas emission saving from th e use of biofuel and other bioliquids for 
the purposes of Article 15(2) shall be calculated as follows: 
(a) for biofuels, where a default value for greenhouse gas emission savings for the 
biofuel production pathway is  laid down in Part A or B of Annex VII, by using 
that default value; 
(b) by using an actual value calculated in accordance with the methodology laid 
down in Part C of Annex VII; or 
(c) by using a value calculated in acco rdance with the methodology laid down in 
Part C of Annex VII as the sum of actua l values for some of the steps of the 
production process and the disaggregated default values in Part D or E of 
Annex VII for the other steps of the production process.  
2. By 31 March 2010 at the latest, Member States shall submit to the Commission a 
report including a list of those entities of their territory classified as NUTS 2 level in Regulation (EC) No 1059/2003 of the Eur opean Parliament and of the Council
18 
where the typical greenhouse gas emissions from cultivation of agricultural raw 
materials can be expected to be lower than or equal to the emissions reported under 
the heading "cultivation" in part D of Anne x VII to this Directive, accompanied by a 
description of the method and data used to establish that list. The method shall take 
into account soil characteri stics, climate and expect ed raw material yields. 
3. The default values in Part A of Annex VI I for biofuels, and the disaggregated default 
values for cultivation in Part D of Annex VII for biofuels and other bioliquids, shall apply only when their raw materials are cultivated: 
(a) outside the Community; or (b) in the Community in regions included in the lists referred to in paragraph 2. 
For biofuels and other bioliquids falling under neither of the preceding 
subparagraphs actual values fo r cultivation shall be used. 
                                                
 
18 OJ L 154, 21.6.2003, p. 1.  
EN 36   EN 4. The Commission shall report by 31 Decemb er 2012 at the latest on the estimated 
typical and default values in Annex VII Part B and Part E,  paying special attention to 
emissions from transport and processing, and may, where necessary, decide to correct the values. Such a measure designed to amend non-essential elements of this 
Directive shall be adopted in accordance with  the regulatory procedure with scrutiny 
referred to in Article 21(3). 
5. Annex VII may be adapted to technical and scientific progress. Such a measure 
designed to amend non-essen tial elements of this Dire ctive shall be adopted in 
accordance with the regulatory procedure with scrutiny referred to in Article 21(3). 
Any adaptation of or addition to the list of default values  in Annex VII shall respect 
the following rules: 
(a) where the contribution of a factor to overall emissions is small, or where there 
is limited variation, or where the cost or  difficulty of establishing actual values 
is high, default values shall be t ypical of normal pr oduction processes; 
(b) in all other cases default values shall be conservative compared to normal 
production processes. 
Article 18 
Specific provisions related to biofuels  
1. Member States shall ensure that informati on is given to the public on the availability 
of biofuels and other renewa ble transport fuels. For perc entages of biofuels, blended 
in mineral oil derivatives, exceeding the limit value of 10% by volume, Member States shall require this to be  indicated at the sales points. 
2. Member States shall ensure that diesel fuel complying with the specifications set out 
in Annex V is made available by 31 Decem ber 2010 at the latest in filling stations 
with more than two pumps that sell diesel fuel.  
3. Member States shall ensure that diesel fuel complying with the specifications set out 
in Annex VI, or other diesel fuel with at least 5% biofuel conten t by volume, is made 
available by 31 December 2014 at the latest in filling stations w ith more than two 
pumps that sell diesel fuel. 
4. For the purposes of demonstrating comp liance with national renewable energy 
obligations placed on operators, the contri bution made by biofuels produced from 
wastes, residues, non-food cellulosic material , and ligno-cellulosic material shall be 
considered to be twice that made by other biofuels. 
Article 19 
Reporting by the Member States  
1. Member States shall submit a report to the Commission on progress in the promotion 
and use of energy from renewable sources by 30 June 2011 at the latest, and every 2 
years thereafter.  
 The report shall detail in particular:  
EN 37   EN (a) the sectoral and overall shares of energy from renewable sources in the 
preceding two calendar years and the meas ures taken or planned at national 
level to promote the growth of renewable energy taking into account the indicative trajectory in  Part B of Annex 1; 
(b) the introduction and functioning of s upport schemes and other measures to 
promote energy from renewable sour ces, and any developments in the 
measures used with respect to those set out in the Member State's national 
action plan; 
(c) how, where applicable, Member States  have structured their support schemes 
to take into account renewabl e energy applications that  give additional benefits 
in relation to other, comparable applic ations, but may also have higher costs, 
including biofuels made from wastes , residues, non-food cellulosic material, 
and ligno-cellulosic material; 
(d) the functioning of the system of guarant ees of origin for electricity and heating 
and cooling from renewable energy sources  and the measures taken to ensure 
the reliability and protection against fraud of the system; 
(e) progress made in evaluating and im proving administrative procedures to 
remove regulatory and non-regulatory barr iers to the development of energy 
from renewable sources; 
(f) measures taken to ensure the tran smission and distribution of electricity 
produced from renewable energy sources, and to improve the framework or rules for bearing and sharing of co sts referred to in Article 14(3); 
(g) developments in the availability a nd use of biomass resources for energy 
purposes; 
(h) commodity price and land use changes within the Member State associated 
with its increased use of biomass and other forms of energy from renewable 
sources;  
(i) the development and share of biofuels  made from wastes, residues, non-food 
cellulosic material, and li gno-cellulosic material;  
(j) the estimated impact of biofuel pro duction on biodiversity,  water resources, 
water quality and soil quality; and 
(k) the estimated net greenhouse gas savi ngs due to the use of energy from 
renewable sources. 
2. In estimating net greenhouse gas savings fr om the use of biofuels, Member States 
may, for the purpose of the reports referred to  in paragraph 1, use the typical values 
given in Annex VII, part A and part B. 
3. In their first report, Member States shall outline whether they intend to:  
EN 38   EN (a) establish a single administrative body re sponsible for processing authorisation, 
certification and licensing applications fo r renewable energy installations and 
providing assistance to applicants;  
(b) provide for automatic approval of planning and permit applications for 
renewable energy installa tions where the authoris ing body has not responded 
within the set time limits; and 
(c) indicate geographical locations su itable for exploitation of energy from 
renewable sources in land- use planning and for the establishment of district 
heating and cooling. 
Article 20 
Monitoring and reporting by the Commission 
1. The Commission shall monitor the origin of  biofuels and other bioliquids consumed 
in the Community and the impacts of their production on land use in the Community and the main third countries of supply. M onitoring shall be based on Member States’ 
reports, submitted pursuant to Article 19(1) and those of relevant third countries, intergovernmental organisations, scientific studies and any other relevant pieces of 
information. The Commission shall also monitor the commodity price changes 
associated with the use of biomass fo r energy and any associated positive and 
negative effects on food security.  
2. The Commission shall maintain a dialogue  and exchange information with third 
countries and biofuel producer and consum er organisations c oncerning the general 
implementation of the measures in this Di rective relating to biofuels and other 
bioliquids. 
3. On the basis of the reports submitted by Member States pursuant to Article 19(1) and 
the monitoring and analysis referred to in paragraph 1 of this Article, the 
Commission shall report every two years to the European Parliament and the 
Council. The first report shall be submitted in 2012. 
4. In reporting on greenhouse gas savings fr om the use of biofuels, the Commission 
shall use the values reported by Member St ates and shall evaluate whether and how 
the estimate would change if  co-products were accounted for using the substitution 
approach.  
5. In its reports, the Commission shall analyse:  
(a) the relative environmental benefits and co sts of different biofuels, the effects of 
the Community's import policies thereon, the security of supply implications 
and the ways of achieving a balanced approach between domestic production and imports; 
(b) the impact of increased demand for bi ofuel on sustainability in the Community 
and in third countries;  
EN 39   EN (c) the impact of EU biofuel policy on th e availability of foodstuffs in exporting 
countries, the ability of people in de veloping countries to afford these 
foodstuffs, and wider development issues; and  
(d) the impact of increased demand for biomass on biomass using sectors. It shall, if appropriate , propose corrective action. 
Article 21 
Committee 
1. The Commission shall be assisted by a Committee. 
2. Where reference is made to this pa ragraph, Articles 3 and 7 of Decision 
1999/468/EC shall apply, having regard to th e provisions of Article 8 thereof.  
3. Where reference is made to this paragra ph, Articles 5a(1) to (4) and Article 7 of 
Decision 1999/468/EC shall apply, having re gard to the provisions of Article 8 
thereof.  
Article 22 
Amendments and repeal 
1. In Directive 2001/77/EC, Article 2, Article 3(2), and Articles 4 to  8 are deleted with 
effect from 1 April 2010. 
2. In Directive 2003/30/EC, Article  2, Article 3(2), (3) and (5 ), and Articles 5 and 6 are 
deleted with effect  from 1 April 2010. 
3. Directives 2001/77/EC and 2003/30/EC are repealed with  effect from 1 January 
2012. 
Article 23 
Transposition 
1. Member States shall bring into force the laws, regulations and administrative 
provisions necessary to comp ly with this Directive by 31 March 2010 at the latest. 
They shall forthwith communicate to the Commission the text of those provisions 
and a correlation table between thos e provisions and this Directive. 
When Member States adopt those provisions,  they shall contain a reference to this 
Directive or be accompanied by such a reference on the occasion of their official publication. Member States shall determin e how such reference is to be made. 
2. Member States shall communicate to the Commission the text of the main provisions 
of national law which they adopt in the field covered by this Directive.  
EN 40   EN Article 24 
Entry into force 
This Directive shall enter into force on the tw entieth day following that of its publication in 
the Official Journal of  the European Union . 
Article 25 
Addressees 
This Directive is addressed to the Member States. 
Done at Brussels,  
For the European Parliament For the Council 
The President The President    
EN 41   EN Annex I – National overall targets for the sh are of energy from renewable sources in 
final consumption of energy in 2020  
A. National overall targets 
 Share of energy 
from renewable sources in final consumption of energy, 2005 (S
2005) Target for share of 
energy from renewable sources in final consumption of energy, 2020 (S
2020) 
Belgium 2.2% 13% 
Bulgaria 9.4% 16% 
The Czech Republic 6.1% 13% 
Denmark 17.0% 30% 
Germany 5.8% 18% 
Estonia 18.0% 25% 
Ireland 3.1% 16% 
Greece 6.9% 18% 
Spain 8.7% 20% 
France 10.3% 23% 
Italy 5.2% 17% 
Cyprus 2.9% 13% 
Latvia 34.9% 42% 
Lithuania 15.0% 23% 
Luxembourg 0.9% 11% 
Hungary 4.3% 13% 
Malta 0.0% 10% 
The Netherlands 2.4% 14% 
Austria 23.3% 34% 
Poland 7.2% 15% 
Portugal 20.5% 31% 
Romania 17.8% 24% 
Slovenia 16.0% 25% 
The Slovak Republic 6.7% 14% 
Finland 28.5% 38% 
Sweden 39.8% 49% 
United Kingdom 1.3% 15%  
EN 42   EN B. Indicative trajectory  
The indicative trajectory referred to in Artic le 3(2) shall respect the following shares of 
energy from renewable sources: 
S2005 + 0.25 (S 2020 – S 2005), as an average for the two-year period 2011 to 2012;  
S2005 + 0.35 (S 2020 – S 2005), as an average for the two-year period 2013 to 2014; 
S2005 + 0.45 (S 2020 – S 2005), as an average for the two-year period 2015 to 2016; and 
S2005 + 0.65 (S 2020 – S 2005), as an average for the two-year period 2017 to 2018, 
where 
S2005 = the share for that Member State in 2005 as indicated in the table in Part A,  
and 
S2020 = the share for that Member State in 2020 as indicated in the table in Part A.  
EN 43   EN Annex II – Normalisation rule for accounting for electricity generated from hydropower  
The following rule shall be applied for the purpose of accounting for electricity generated 
from hydropower in a given Member State: 
 QN(norm)  = CN * 15/
14⎥⎦⎤
⎢⎣⎡∑
−=N
Ni CiQi 
  
where 
N = reference year; 
QN(norm)  = normalised electricity generated by all hydropower plants of the Member 
State in year N, for accounting purposes;  
Qi = the quantity of electricity actually generated in year i by all plants of the 
Member State measured in GWh;  
Ci = the total installed capacity of all the plants of the Member State in year i, 
measured in MW.  
EN 44   EN Annex III – Energy content of transport fuels  
Fuel Energy content by  
weight (lower  calorific value,  MJ/kg) Energy content by  
volume (lower  calorific value,  MJ/l) 
Bioethanol (ethanol produced from biomass) 27 21 
Bio-ETBE (ethyl-tertio-butyl -ether produced on the 
basis of bioethanol) 36 (of which  
37% from  
renewable sources) 27 (of which  
37% from  
renewable sources) 
Biomethanol (methanol produced from biomass, to 
be used as biofuel) 20 16 
Bio-MTBE (methyl-tertio- butyl-ether produced on 
the basis of bio-methanol) 35 (of which  
22% from  renewable sources) 26 (of which  
22% from  renewable sources) 
Bio-DME (dimethylether produced from biomass, to be used as biofuel) 28 19 
Bio-TAEE (tertiary-amyl-e thyl-ether produced on 
the basis of bioethanol) 38 (of which  
29% from  renewable sources) 29 (of which  
29% from  renewable sources) 
Biobutanol (butanol produced  from biomass, to be 
used as biofuel) 33 27 
Biodiesel (methyl-ester produced from vegetable or 
animal oil, of diesel quality, to be used as biofuel) 37 33 
Fischer-Tropsch diesel (a  synthetic hydrocarbon or 
mixture of synthetic hydrocarbons produced from 
biomass) 44 34 
Hydrotreated vegetable oil (vegetable oil 
thermochemically treated with hydrogen) 44 34 
Pure vegetable oil (oil produced from oil plants 
through pressing, extraction or comparable procedures, crude or refined but chemically unmodified, when compatible with the type of engines involved and the corresponding emission requirements) 37 34 
Biogas (a fuel gas produced from biomass and/or 
from the biodegradable fraction of waste, that can be purified to natural gas quality, to be used as 
biofuel, or woodgas) 50 - 
Petrol  43 32 
Diesel 43 36 
  
EN 45   EN Annex IV - Certific ation of installers  
The criteria referred to in Article 13(3) shall be as follows:  
1. The certification process shall be transp arent and clearly defined by the Member 
State or the administrative body they appoint. 
2. Biomass, heat pump and solar photovoltaic  and solar thermal installers shall be 
certified by an accredited training programme or training provider.  
3. The accreditation of the training program me or provider shall be done by Member 
States or administrative bodies they appoi nt. The accrediting body shall ensure that 
the training programme offered by the trai ning provider has cont inuity and regional 
or national coverage. The training provider sh all have adequate technical facilities to 
provide practical training, including some laboratory equipment or corresponding 
facilities to provide practical training. Th e training provider shall also offer in 
addition to the basic training, shorter refres her courses on topical issues, including on 
new technologies, to enable life-long learni ng in installations. The training provider 
may be the manufacturer of the equipment or system, institutes or associations. 
4. Accredited training programmes shall be  offered to installers with working 
experience, who have undergone, or are unde rgoing, the following types of training:  
a) in the case of biomass boiler and stove installers: training as a plumber, pipe 
fitter, heating engineer or technician of sanitary and heating or cooling equipment as a prerequisite.  
b) in the case of heat pump installers : training as a plumber or refrigeration 
engineer and have basic electrical and plumbing skills (cutting pipe, soldering pipe joints, gluing pipe joints, laggi ng, sealing fittings, testing for leaks and 
installation of heati ng or cooling systems) as a prerequisite; 
c) in the case of a solar photovoltaic or  solar thermal insta ller: training as a 
plumber, electrician, and have plumbing, el ectrical and roofi ng skills, including 
knowledge of soldering pipe joints, gluing pipe joints , sealing fittings, testing 
for plumbing leaks, ability to conn ect wiring, familiar with basic roof 
materials, flashing and sealing me thods as a prerequisite; or  
d) a vocational training scheme to provide  an installer with adequate skills 
corresponding to a 3 years educ ation in the skills referred to in point (a), (b) or 
(c) including both classroom and workplace learning.  
5. The training leading to installer certi fication shall include both theoretical and 
practical parts. At the end of the training, th e installer must have the skills required to 
install the relevant equipments and system s to meet the performance and reliability 
needs of the customer, incorporate quality craftsmanship, and comply with all applicable codes and standards, including energy and eco-labelling. 
6. The theoretical part of the biomass stove and boiler installer training shall cover the 
market situation of biomass, ecological as pects, biomass fuels, logistics, building 
laws, fire protection, subsidies, combus tion techniques, firing systems, optimal  
EN 46   EN hydraulic solutions, cost and profitabili ty comparison as well as the design, 
installation, and maintenance of biomass boilers and stoves.  The training shall also 
provide good knowledge of any European  standards for technology and biomass 
fuels, such as pellets, and biomass re lated national and European legislation.  
7. The theoretical part of the heat pump inst aller training shall cover market situation 
for heat pumps, geothermal resources and ground source temperatures of different 
regions, soil and rock identif ication for thermal conductivity , logistics, building laws, 
regulations on using geothermal resources , feasibility of using heat pumps in 
buildings and determining the most suitabl e heat pump system, and knowledge about 
their technical requirements, safety, air fi ltering, connection with the heat source and 
system layout. The training shall also provide good knowledge of any European 
standards for heat pumps, national and of re levant national and European legislation. 
The installer shall demonstrate the following key competences: 
a) basic understanding of the physical and operation prin ciples of a heat pump, 
including characteristics of the h eat pump circle: context between low 
temperatures of the heat sink, high temp eratures of the heat source, and the 
efficiency of the system, determination of the coefficient of performance (COP) and seasonal performance factor (SPF); 
b) understanding of the components and thei r function within a heat pump circle, 
including the compressor, expansion valve,  evaporator, condenser, fixtures and 
fittings, lubricating oil, refrigerant, superheating and sub-cooling and cooling possibilities with heat pumps;  
c) ability to choose and size the compone nts in typical installation situations, 
including determining the typical values of  the heat load of different buildings 
and for hot water production based on energy consumption, determining the 
capacity of the heat pump  on the heat load for hot water production, on the 
storage mass of the building and on in terruptible current supply; determine 
buffer tank component and its volume a nd integration of a second heating 
system; 
8. The theoretical part of the solar photovoltaic  and solar thermal inst aller training shall 
cover the market situati on of solar products, ecologi cal aspects, components, 
characteristics and dimensioning of solar sy stems, selection of accurate systems and 
dimensioning of components, determination of the heat demand, logistics, building 
laws, fire protection, subsidies, cost a nd profitability comparison as well as the 
design, installation, and ma intenance of solar photovol taic and solar thermal 
installations. The training shall also provide good knowledge of any European 
standards for technology, a nd certification such as Solar Keymark, and related 
national and European legislation. The in staller shall demonstrate the following key 
competences:  
a) ability to work safely using the re quired tools and equipment and implementing 
safety codes and standards and identify  plumbing, electrical and other hazards 
associated with solar installations;  
EN 47   EN b) ability to identify syst ems and their components speci fic to active and passive 
systems, including the mechanical design, and determine the components' location and system layout and configuration;  
c) ability to determine the required installation area, orientation and tilt for the 
solar photovoltaic and solar water h eater, taking account of shading, solar 
access, structural integrity, the appropr iateness of the installation for the 
building or the climate and identify diffe rent installation methods suitable for 
roof types and the balance of system equipment required for the installation; 
d) for solar photovoltaic systems in part icular, ability to ad apt the electrical 
design, including determining design curre nts, selecting ap propriate conductor 
types and ratings for each electrical circuit, determining appropriate size, 
ratings and locations for all associated equipment and subsystems and selecting 
an appropriate inte rconnection point. 
9. The training course shall end with an examination leading to a certificate. The 
examination shall include a practical assessment of successfully installing biomass boilers or stoves, heat pumps, solar phot ovoltaic or solar thermal installations. 
10. The installer certification shall be time rest ricted, so that a refresher seminar or event 
would be necessary for continued certification.  
EN 48   EN Annex V – Specifications for a 7%  blend of biodiesel in diesel  
Parameter Units Limits 
    Minimum Maximum
Measured cetene   51 - 
Calculated cetane   46 - 
Density at 15°C kg/m3 820 845 
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons %wt - 8 
Sulphur content mg/kg - 10 
Flash point °C >55 - 
Carbon residue in 10% di stillation residue % - 0.3 
Ash content mg/kg - 0.01 
Water content mg/kg - 200 
Total contamination mg/kg - 24 
Copper strip corrosion (3h-50°C) cotation class 1 
Lubricity EN ISO 12156-1 µm - 460 
Kinematic viscocity at 40°C mm2/s 2 4.5 
Distillation % recovery at 250°C % - <65 
% recovery at 350°C % 85 - 
Temperature for 95% recovery °C - 360 
FAME content EN14078 % 0 7 
Cloud point °C Ref. national standard 
Cold filter plugging point °C Ref. national standard 
Oxidation stability - EN14112  h  20 - 
Oxidation stability by ASTM D2274 at 115°C g/m3   25 
Additivation for stability Anti-oxidant equivalent to BHT at  
1000ppm 
  
EN 49   EN Annex VI – Specifications for a 1 0% blend of biod iesel in diesel  
Parameter Units Limits 
    Minimum Maximum
Measured cetene   51 - 
Calculated cetane   46 - 
Density at 15°C kg/m3 820 845 
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons %wt - 8 
Sulphur content mg/kg - 10 
Flash point °C >55 - 
Carbon residue in 10% di stillation residue % - 0.3 
Ash content mg/kg - 0.01 
Water content mg/kg - 200 
Total contamination mg/kg - 24 
Copper strip corrosion (3h-50°C) cotation class 1a 
Lubricity EN ISO 12156-1 µm - 460 
Kinematic viscocity at 40°C mm2/s 2 4.5 
Distillation % recovery at 250°C % - <65 
% recovery at 350°C % 85 - 
Temperature for 95% recovery °C - 360 
FAME content EN14078 % 5 10 
Cloud point °C Ref. national standard 
Cold filter plugging point °C Ref. national standard 
Phosphorus content mg/kg - 0.2 
Acid index mgKOH/g - 0.05 
Peroxides EN ISO 3960   - 20 
Oxidation stability - EN14112 h  20 - 
Oxidation stability by ASTM D2274 at 115°C g/m3   25 
Acid index variation mgKOH/g   0.12 
Injector fouling Detergent additive package 
Additivation for stability Anti-oxidant equivalent to BHT at 
1000ppm 
  
EN 50   EN Annex VII – Rules for calculat ing the greenhouse gas impact of biofuels, other bioliquids  
and their fossil fuel comparators  
A. Typical and default values for biofuels if  produced with no net carbon emissions 
from land use change  
biofuel production pathway typical 
greenhouse gas emission  saving default 
greenhouse gas emission  saving 
sugar beet ethanol 48% 35% 
wheat ethanol (process fuel not specified) 21% 0% 
wheat ethanol (lignite as process fuel in CHP plant) 21% 0% 
wheat ethanol (natural gas as process fuel in conventional boiler) 45% 33% 
wheat ethanol (natural gas as process fuel in CHP 
plant) 54% 45% 
wheat ethanol (straw as proce ss fuel in CHP plant) 69% 67% 
corn (maize) ethanol, Community produced (natural 
gas as process fuel in CHP plant) 56% 49% 
sugar cane ethanol 74% 74% 
the part from renewable sources of ETBE (ethyl-
tertio-butyl-ether) Equal to that of the ethanol 
production pathway used 
the part from renewable sources of TAEE (tertiary-amyl-ethyl-ether) Equal to that of the ethanol 
production pathway used 
rape seed biodiesel 44% 36% 
sunflower biodiesel 58% 51% 
palm oil biodiesel (process not specified) 32% 16% 
palm oil biodiesel (process with no methane emissions to air at oil mill) 57% 51% 
waste vegetable or animal  oil biodiesel 83% 77% 
Hydrotreated vegetable oil from rape seed 49% 45% 
Hydrotreated vegetable oil from sunflower 65% 60% 
Hydrotreated vegetable oil from palm oil (process 
not specified) 38% 24% 
Hydrotreated vegetable oil from palm oil (process 
with no methane emissions to air at oil mill) 63% 60% 
pure vegetable oil from  rape seed 57% 55% 
biogas from municipal orga nic waste as compressed 
natural gas 81% 75% 
biogas from wet manure as compressed natural gas 86% 83% 
biogas from dry manure as compressed natural gas 88% 85%  
EN 51   EN B. Estimated typical and default values for future biofuels that are not or in 
negligible quantities on the market in  January 2008, if produced with no net 
carbon emissions from land use change 
biofuel production pathway typical 
greenhouse gas emission  saving default 
greenhouse gas emission  saving 
wheat straw ethanol 87% 85% 
waste wood ethanol 80% 74% 
farmed wood ethanol 76% 70% 
waste wood Fischer-Tropsch diesel 95% 95% 
farmed wood Fischer-Tropsch diesel 93% 93% 
waste wood DME (dimethylether) 95% 95% 
farmed wood DME (dimethylether) 92% 92% 
waste wood methanol 94% 94% 
farmed wood methanol 91% 91% 
the part from renewable sources of MTBE (methyl-tertio-butyl-ether)l Equal to that of the methanol 
production pathway used  
EN 52   EN C. Methodology  
1. Greenhouse gas emissions from the production  and use of transport fuels, biofuels 
and other bioliquids shall be calculated as: 
 E = eec + el + ep + etd + eu – eccs - eccr – eee, 
 where  E = total emissions from the use of the fuel; 
 e
ec = emissions from the extraction or cultivation of raw materials; 
 el = annualised emissions from carbon stock changes caused by land use 
change; 
 ep = emissions from processing; 
 etd = emissions from transport and distribution; 
 eu = emissions from the fuel in use; 
 eccs = emission savings from carbon capture and sequestration; 
 eccr = emission savings from carbon capture and replacement; and 
 eee = emission savings from excess electricity from cogeneration. 
 Emissions from the manufacture of machin ery and equipment shall not be taken into 
account. 
2. Greenhouse gas emissions from fuels, E, shall be expressed in terms of grams of CO 2 
equivalent per MJ of fuel, gCO 2eq/MJ.  
3. In exception to paragraph 2, for transpor t fuels, values calculated in terms of 
gCO 2eq/MJ may be adjusted to take into accoun t differences between fuels in useful 
work done, expressed in terms of km/MJ. Such adjustments shall only be made where evidence of the differences in useful work done is provided. 
4. Greenhouse gas emission savings from biof uels and other bioliquids shall be 
calculated as: 
 SAVING  = ( E
F – E B)/EF, 
 where 
 EB = total emissions from the biofuel or other bioliquid; and 
 EF = total emissions from the fossil fuel comparator.  
EN 53   EN 5. The greenhouse gases taken into account for the purposes of pa ragraph 1 shall be 
CO 2, N 2O and CH 4. For the purpose of calculating CO 2 equivalence, these gases 
shall be valued as follows: 
 CO 2: 1 
 N 2O: 296 
 CH 4: 23 
6. Emissions from the extraction or cultivation of raw materials, eec, shall include 
emissions from the extraction or cultivation process itself; from the collection of raw materials; from waste and leakages; a nd from the production of chemicals or 
products used in extraction or  cultivation. Capture of CO
2 in the cultivation of raw 
materials shall be excluded. Certified re ductions of greenhouse gas emissions from 
flaring at oil producti on sites anywhere in the world sh all be deducted. Estimates of 
emissions from cultivation may be derived from the use of averages calculated for smaller geographical areas than those used in the calculation of the default values, as an alternative to using actual values. 
7. Annualised emissions from carbon stock changes caused by land use change, e
l, shall 
be calculated by dividing total emissions e qually over 20 years. For the calculation of 
these emissions the following rule shall be applied: 
 el = (CS R – CS A) x MW CO2/MW C x 1/20 x 1/P , 
where 
el = annualised greenhouse gas emissions from carbon stock change due to 
land use change (measured as mass of CO2-equivalent per unit biofuel 
energy); 
CSR = the carbon stock per unit area associ ated with the reference land use 
(measured as mass of carbon per un it area, including both soil and 
vegetation). The reference land use shall be the land use in January 2008 
or 20 years before the raw materi al was obtained, whichever was the 
latest;  
CSA = the carbon stock per unit area a ssociated with the actual land use 
(measured as mass of carbon per un it area, including both soil and 
vegetation);  
MW CO2 = molecular weight of CO 2 = 44.010 g/mol; 
MW C = molecular weight of carbon = 12.011 g/mol; and  
P = the productivity of the crop (measured as biofuel or other bioliquid 
energy per unit area per year). 
8. For the purposes of paragraph 7, the following values may be used for both CSR and 
CSA  
EN 54   EN land use carbon stock 
(tons of carbon  per hectare)  
oil palm plantation 189 
permanent grassland, that is to  say, rangelands and pasture land 
which have been under grassland vegetation and pasture use for 
at least 5 years and are not forested 181 
lightly forested area (forest that is  not continuously forested area) 181 
arable  
(including grassland not consider ed as permanent; plantation of 
tree borne oil seeds; land that ha s been set aside in accordance 
with Article 2(1) of Commi ssion Regulation (EC) No 796/200419 
and land that was tropical fore st, was cleared before January 
2008, and had the status of abandoned land in January 2008) 82 
desert and semidesert 44 
 Alternatively, actual valu es may be used for both CSR and CS A. 
The following values may be used to calculate P:  
biofuel 
or other  
bioliquid crop biofuel or other  bioliquid yield (tons of oil 
equivalent per hectare) 
tree borne oil seeds 1.5 
oil palm 4.0 
Alternatively, actual values may be used. 
9. Emissions from processing, ep, shall include emissions from the processing itself; 
from waste and leakages; and from the produc tion of chemicals or products used in 
processing. 
 In accounting for the consumption of el ectricity not produced within the fuel 
production plant, the greenhouse gas emi ssion intensity of the production and 
distribution of that electricity  shall be assumed to be equal to the average emission 
intensity of the production and distribution of electricity in a defined region. In 
exception to this rule: 
a) producers may use an average value fo r an individual elect ricity production 
plant for electricity produced by that plant,  if that plant is not connected to the 
electricity grid; 
b) producers may ascribe an emissions intensity of zero to each MWh of 
consumed electricity for which they tr ansfer a guarantee of origin to a 
competent body in accordance with the provi sions of Article 8, paragraph 1(c). 
                                                 
19 Commission Regulation (EC) No 796/2004 of 21 April 2004 laying down detailed rules for the 
implementation of cross-compliance, modulation and the integrated administration and control system provided for in of Council Regulation (EC) No 1782/2003 establishing common rules for direct support 
schemes under the common agricultural policy and establishing certain support schemes for farmers (OJ 
L 141, 30.4.2004, p. 18).  
EN 55   EN 10. Emissions from transport and distribution, etd, shall include emissions from the 
transport and storage of raw and semi-finished materials and from the storage and distribution of finished materials. 
11. Emissions from the fuel in use, e
u, shall be taken to be zero for biofuels and other 
bioliquids. 
12. Emission savings from carbon capture and sequestration, eccs, shall be limited to 
emissions avoided through the captu re and sequestration of emitted CO 2 directly 
related to the extraction, transport,  processing and distribution of fuel. 
13. Emission savings from carbon capture and replacement, eccr, shall be limited to 
emissions avoided through the capture of CO 2 of which the carbon originates from 
biomass and which is used to replace fossil-derived CO 2 used in commercial 
products and services. 
14. Emission savings from excess electricity from cogeneration, eee, shall be taken into 
account in relation to the excess electricit y produced by fuel production systems that 
use cogeneration except where the fuel us ed for the cogeneration is a co-product 
other than an agricultural crop residue. In  accounting for this excess electricity, the 
size of the cogeneration unit shall be assumed to be the minimum necessary for the 
cogeneration unit to supply the heat that is needed to produce the fuel. The greenhouse gas emission savings associated with  this excess electricity shall be taken 
to be equal to the amount of greenhouse gas that would be emitted when an equal 
amount of electricity was generated in a power plant using the same fuel as the 
cogeneration unit.  
15. Where a fuel production process produces , in combination, the fuel for which 
emissions are being calculated and one or more other produc ts ("co-products"), 
greenhouse gas emissions shall be divided between the fuel or its intermediate 
product and the co-products in  proportion to their ener gy content (determined by 
lower heating value in th e case of co-products other than electricity).  
16. For the purposes of the calculation referred to in paragraph 15, the emissions to be 
divided shall be e
ec + el, + those fractions of ep, etd and eee that take place up to and 
including the process step at  which a co-product is produced . If any allocation to co-
products has taken place at an earlier proces s step in the life-cycle, the fraction of 
those emissions assigned in the last such pr ocess step to the intermediate fuel product 
shall be used for this purpose inst ead of the total of those emissions. 
 In the case of biofuels and other bioliqui ds, all co-products, including electricity that 
does not fall under the scope of paragraph 14, shall be taken into account for the 
purposes of this calculation, except for ag ricultural crop residues, including straw, 
bagasse, husks, cobs and nut shells. Co-pr oducts that have a ne gative energy content 
shall be considered to have an ener gy content of zero for the purpose of the 
calculation.  
 Wastes, agricultural crop residues, incl uding straw, bagasse, husks, cobs and nut 
shells, and residues from processing chai ns, other than biofuel processing chains, 
with no potential food or feed use shall be consider ed to have zero life-cycle 
greenhouse gas emissions up to the proce ss of collection of these materials.  
EN 56   EN  In the case of fuels produced in refineries, the unit of analysis for the purposes of the 
calculation referred to in paragr aph 15 shall be the refinery. 
17. For biofuels, for the purposes of the calcu lation referred to in paragraph 4, the fossil 
fuel comparator EF shall be the latest available actual average emissions from petrol 
and diesel consumed in the Community as reported under [Directiv e 98/70/EC ]. If no 
such data are available, the value used shall be 83.8 gCO 2eq/MJ. 
For bioliquids used for electricity pr oduction, for the purposes of the calculation 
referred to in paragraph 4, the fossil fuel comparator EF shall be 91 gCO 2eq/MJ. 
For bioliquids used for heat production, for th e purposes of the calc ulation referred to 
in paragraph 4, the fossil fuel comparator EF shall be 77 gCO 2eq/MJ. 
For bioliquids used for cogene ration, for the purposes of the calculation referred to in 
paragraph 4, the fossil fuel comparator EF shall be 85 gCO 2eq/MJ.  
EN 57   EN D. Disaggregated values for biofuels and bioliquids 
Cultivation: ' eec' as defined in Part C of this Annex  
biofuel and other bioliquid production pathway Typical 
greenhouse gas emissions (gCO
2eq/MJ) Default 
greenhouse gas emissions  (gCO
2eq/MJ) 
sugar beet ethanol 13 13 
wheat ethanol 19 19 
corn (maize) ethanol, Community produced  20 20 
sugar cane ethanol 13 13 
the part from renewable sour ces of ETBE (ethyl-tertio-
butyl-ether) Equal to that of the ethanol  
production pathway used 
the part from renewable sour ces of TAEE (tertiary-amyl-
ethyl-ether) Equal to that of the ethanol  
production pathway used 
rape seed biodiesel 30 30 
sunflower biodiesel 18 18 
palm oil biodiesel 18 18 
waste vegetable or animal oil biodiesel 0 0 
Hydrotreated vegetable oil from rape seed 31 31 
Hydrotreated vegetable oil from sunflower 19 19 
Hydrotreated vegetable oil from palm oil 19 19 
pure vegetable oil from rape seed 32 32 
biogas from municipal orga nic waste as compressed 
natural gas 0 0 
biogas from wet manure as compressed natural gas 0 0 
biogas from dry manure as compressed natural gas 0 0 
Processing (including excess electricity):  'ep - eee' as defined in Part C of this Annex  
biofuel and other bioliquid production pathway Typical 
greenhouse gas emissions (gCO
2eq/MJ) Default 
greenhouse gas emissions  (gCO
2eq/MJ) 
sugar beet ethanol 27 38 
wheat ethanol (process fuel not specified) 45 63 
wheat ethanol (lignite as process fuel in CHP plant) 45 63 
wheat ethanol (natural gas as process fuel in conventional boiler) 25 35 
wheat ethanol (natural gas as pr ocess fuel in CHP plant) 18 25 
wheat ethanol (straw as pro cess fuel in CHP plant) 5 7 
corn (maize) ethanol, Community  produced (natural gas as 
process fuel in CHP plant)  15 21 
sugar cane ethanol 1 1 
the part from renewable sour ces of ETBE (ethyl-tertio-
butyl-ether) Equal to that of the ethanol  
production pathway used 
the part from renewable sour ces of TAEE (tertiary-amyl-
ethyl-ether) Equal to that of the ethanol  
production pathway used 
rape seed biodiesel 15 22  
EN 58   EN sunflower biodiesel 15 22 
palm oil biodiesel (process not specified) 33 47 
palm oil biodiesel (process w ith no methane emissions to 
air at the oil mill) 13 18 
waste vegetable or animal oil biodiesel 13 18 
Hydrotreated vegetable oil from rape seed 10 14 
Hydrotreated vegetable oil from sunflower 10 14 
Hydrotreated vegetable oil from palm oil (process not 
specified) 28 40 
Hydrotreated vegetable oil fr om palm oil (process with no 
methane emissions to air at the oil mill) 7 10 
pure vegetable oil fr om rape seed 4 5 
biogas from municipal orga nic waste as compressed 
natural gas 13 18 
biogas from wet manure as compressed natural gas 7 9 
biogas from dry manure as compressed natural gas 7 9 
Transport and distribution: ' etd ' as defined in Part C of this Annex  
biofuel and other bioliquid production pathway Typical 
greenhouse gas emissions (gCO
2eq/MJ) Default 
greenhouse gas emissions  (gCO
2eq/MJ) 
sugar beet ethanol 3 3 
wheat ethanol 2 2 
corn (maize) ethanol, Community produced  2 2 
sugar cane ethanol 8 8 
the part from renewable s ources of ETBE (ethyl-tertio-
butyl-ether) Equal to that of the ethanol  
production pathway used 
the part from renewable sour ces of TAEE (tertiary-amyl-
ethyl-ether) Equal to that of the ethanol  
production pathway used 
rape seed biodiesel 1 1 
sunflower biodiesel 1 1 
palm oil biodiesel 5 5 
waste vegetable or animal oil biodiesel 1 1 
Hydrotreated vegetable oil from rape seed 1 1 
Hydrotreated vegetable oil from sunflower 1 1 
Hydrotreated vegetable oil from palm oil 5 5 
pure vegetable oil fr om rape seed 1 1 
biogas from municipal orga nic waste as compressed 
natural gas 3 3 
biogas from wet manure as compressed natural gas 5 5 
biogas from dry manure as compressed natural gas 4 4  
EN 59   EN Total 
biofuel and other bioliquid production pathway Typical 
greenhouse gas emissions  (gCO
2eq/MJ) Default 
greenhouse gas emissions  (gCO
2eq/MJ) 
sugar beet ethanol 43 54 
wheat ethanol (process fuel not specified) 66 84 
wheat ethanol (lignite as process fuel in CHP plant) 66 84 
wheat ethanol (natural gas as process fuel in conventional 
boiler) 46 56 
wheat ethanol (natural gas as pr ocess fuel in CHP plant) 39 46 
wheat ethanol (straw as pro cess fuel in CHP plant) 26 28 
corn (maize) ethanol, Community  produced (natural gas as 
process fuel in CHP plant) 37 43 
sugar cane ethanol 21 22 
the part from renewable sources  of ETBE (ethyl-tertio-butyl-
ether) Equal to that of the ethanol  
production pathway used 
the part from renewable source s of TAEE (tertiary-amyl-ethyl-
ether) Equal to that of the ethanol  
production pathway used 
rape seed biodiesel 47 53 
sunflower biodiesel 35 41 
palm oil biodiesel (process not specified) 57 70 
palm oil biodiesel (process with no methane emissions to air at the oil mill) 36 41 
waste vegetable or animal oil biodiesel 14 19 
Hydrotreated vegetable oil from rape seed 42 46 
Hydrotreated vegetable oil from sunflower 30 34 
Hydrotreated vegetable oil fr om palm oil (process not 
specified) 52 63 
Hydrotreated vegetable oil from palm oil (process with no 
methane emissions to air at the oil mill) 31 34 
pure vegetable oil from rape seed 36 38 
biogas from municipal organic wast e as compressed natural gas 16 21 
biogas from wet manure as compressed natural gas 12 14 
biogas from dry manure as compressed natural gas 10 13  
EN 60   EN E. Estimated disaggregated values for future biofuels and bioliquids that are not or 
in negligible quantities on the market in January 2008 
Cultivation: ' eec' as defined in Part C of this Annex  
biofuel and other bioliquid produc tion pathway Typical greenhouse 
gas emissions 
(gCO 2eq/MJ) Default greenhouse 
gas emissions  
(gCO 2eq/MJ) 
wheat straw ethanol 3 3 
waste wood ethanol 1 1 
farmed wood ethanol 6 6 
waste wood Fischer-Tropsch diesel 1 1 
farmed wood Fischer-Tropsch diesel 4 4 
waste wood DME (dimethylether) 1 1 
farmed wood DME (dimethylether) 5 5 
waste wood methanol 1 1 
farmed wood methanol 5 5 
the part from renewable sources of MTBE (methyl-
tertio-butyl-ether)l Equal to that of the methanol 
production pathway used 
Processing (including excess electricity):  ep - eee' as defined in Part C of this Annex  
biofuel and other bioliquid produc tion pathway Typical greenhouse 
gas emissions 
(gCO 2eq/MJ) Default greenhouse 
gas emissions  
(gCO 2eq/MJ) 
wheat straw ethanol 5 7 
wood ethanol 12 17 
wood Fischer-Tropsch diesel 0 0 
wood DME (dimethylether) 0 0 
wood methanol 0 0 
the part from renewable sources of MTBE (methyl-
tertio-butyl-ether)l Equal to that of the methanol 
production pathway used 
Transport and distribution: '  etd ' as defined in Part C of this Annex  
biofuel and other bioliquid produc tion pathway Typical greenhouse 
gas emissions 
(gCO 2eq/MJ) Default greenhouse 
gas emissions  
(gCO 2eq/MJ) 
wheat straw ethanol 2 2 
waste wood ethanol 4 4 
farmed wood ethanol 2 2 
waste wood Fischer-Tropsch diesel 3 3 
farmed wood Fischer-Tropsch diesel 2 2 
waste wood DME (dimethylether) 4 4 
farmed wood DME (dimethylether) 2 2 
waste wood methanol 4 4 
farmed wood methanol 2 2 
the part from renewable sources of MTBE (methyl-
tertio-butyl-ether)l Equal to that of the methanol 
production pathway used  
EN 61   EN Total  
biofuel and other bioliquid production pathway Typical 
greenhouse gas emissions (gCO
2eq/MJ) Default 
greenhouse gas emissions  (gCO
2eq/MJ) 
wheat straw ethanol 11 13 
waste wood ethanol 17 22 
farmed wood ethanol 20 25 
waste wood Fischer-Tropsch diesel 4 4 
farmed wood Fischer-Tropsch diesel 6 6 
waste wood DME (dimethylether) 5 5 
farmed wood DME (dimethylether) 7 7 
waste wood methanol 5 5 
farmed wood methanol 7 7 
the part from renewable sources of MTBE (methyl-tertio-butyl-ether) Equal to that of the methanol 
production pathway used