Debate: Sustainable aviation fuels
Date: TUESDAY, 12 SEPTEMBER 2023
Speaker: Adina-Ioana Vălean
Language: EN

Sustainable aviation fuels represent the future for aviation. And we are taking this very seriously because the aviation sector is critical to the European economy, providing millions of jobs and ensuring connectivity of our people and businesses across the continent and beyond. ReFuelEU Aviation is a bold and ambitious plan to increase the use of sustainable aviation fuels in the EU from virtually nothing today to 6 % by 2030 and up to at least 70 % by 2050. It also includes dedicated sub-targets to accelerate the development of synthetic aviation fuels, which are the most sustainable and scalable fuels. The benefits of these proposals are clear. By increasing the use of SAF, we can significantly reduce the carbon footprint of aviation and contribute to the EU’s climate goals. This measure on its own is projected to reduce aircraft CO2 emissions by at least 60 % by 2050 compared to a baseline scenario. The increased use of SAF will also have tremendous health benefits for our society due to increased air quality. It will help reduce non-CO2 pollutants locally and in the air. This is especially important for those communities living closer to airports. This new regulation will also boost the industrialisation and growth of our regions, creating thousands of new jobs in the clean energy sector and bringing growth and prosperity to the regions of our union. We have always considered the impact of this regulation on consumers and airlines. The different mechanisms we have put in place, like the SAF allowances, will ensure a fair and proportionate approach and will help make SAF competitive economically. With this unprecedented proposal, which complements other ambitious measures like strengthening the EU Emissions Trading System and the revision of the Energy Taxation Directive, both of which will incentivise the shift towards cleaner fuels and aircraft technologies, we are sending a powerful signal to the international community that we are serious about our climate commitments and that we are willing to take the lead and make concrete steps to make this a reality. If plenary approves this agreement, the European Union will become the front-runner in the world to create a stable legal framework to use sustainable alternative fuels.  I want to take this opportunity to thank all Members of Parliament who worked on this proposal and helped us to deliver an even stronger, more credible and more ambitious regulation.  Of course, my particular congratulations go to Mr Bauzá Díaz, as the rapporteur of this proposal, and Mr Gade, as his predecessor. This ambitious compromise you have forged is the result of extensive, honest and constructive discussions across the political groups and the institutions and the industry, the sector, as a whole. Stakeholders from all sides have welcomed the provisional political agreement as both ambitious and realistic. In particular, I want to thank the European Parliament for preserving the European approach and in defending this key element of the Commission proposal so fiercely, Parliament has reaffirmed once again that we are stronger together than the sum of our individual ambitions – and now, more than ever. I look forward to your vote on the approval of this regulation tomorrow, to show the world that the EU continues to be the leader in the fight against climate change, and we can do that through an industrial approach towards developing and being smart about how we are going to reduce emissions in transport. So thank you very much, congratulations for your result.