AccelerateEU’s recognition of biofuels and bioenergy represents progress, but concrete follow-through is needed

Today, the European Commission published its AccelerateEU Energy Union Communication, setting out an action plan to tackle the energy price crisis triggered notably by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz as a consequence of the ongoing conflict in Iran. Farm Europe welcomes several key elements of this Communication that have a direct impact on European farmers, bioenergy and biofuel producers, and the fertiliser industry, while calling on the Commission to translate these commitments into concrete and long-term policy action.

Farm Europe particularly values the European Commission’s commitment to map existing EU refining capacities and work on measures to increase domestic production of sustainable biofuels by May 2026. At a time when fuel price spikes are hitting farmers and agri-food supply chains hard, boosting homegrown sustainable biofuel production is both a short-term relief measure and a long-term strategic investment. European biomass production can and must be a key part of the solution to reducing our dependence on imported fossil fuels, and this recognition by the Commission is an important signal.

In this sense, the Communication’s acknowledgement that biogas and biomethane have a crucial strategic role to play in replacing imported fossil fuels, particularly in sectors where electrification remains difficult is strongly welcomed. The recognition that on-farm and cooperative biomethane projects can reduce fossil fuel dependency while generating additional income for farmers and creating local rural value underlines the win-win situation that is created by bioenergy value-chains, from farmers to biorefiners.

However, good intentions must not remain empty promises. For the sector to develop at the scale and pace required, the EU must deliver three things: a stable and supportive regulatory framework that removes red tape and the undue restrictions on the use of crop-based biofuels; a long-term investment landscape that gives farmers and industry the certainty to commit; and guaranteed stable long-term demand for bioenergy.

Farm Europe also highlights the executive’s pledge to map alternatives to fossil-based feedstocks for fertilisers and to promote circular bio-based solutions. The coupling of biomethane production with recycled nutrient recovery is a prime example of how agriculture can simultaneously contribute to energy security and reduce dangerous dependencies on imported fertilisers.

Overall, this Communication constitutes a genuine and encouraging step forward, reflecting a meaningful shift in the Commission’s approach to the role of biofuels and bioenergy in the EU’s energy transition. For too long, these sectors have been undervalued in EU energy policy. Today’s Communication begins to correct that. Yet this should be a starting point and not the destination.