It also reinforces the sustainability criteria of bioenergy through different provisions, including the negative direct impact that the production of biofuels may have due to indirect land use change. The UDB is a global traceability tool to trace consignments of renewable and recycled carbon fuels and the respective raw materials used for their production, from the point of origin of the raw materials to the point where fuels are put on the EU market for final consumption. The revised Renewable Energy Directive establishes binding targets for the share of renewable energy in the transport sector, including maritime and aviation. On the basis of the review of the current standards and the experience from examining the alleged fraud cases, the Commission may request voluntary schemes to adopt and implement action plans or review the implementation of already existing plans on fraud prevention.Furthermore, specific rules and methodological guidance for certification of low ILUC-risk biofuels, bioliquids and biomass fuels have been included in the Implementing Regulation on sustainability certification proposed by the Commission in line with Article 30(8) of the revised directive.It also sets out criteria to certify low ILUC-risk biofuels, bioliquids and biomass fuels.The practical work is carried out by CEN Technical Committee 19, consisting of experts from the automotive and fuel industries, biofuels producers, and other stakeholders.The revised Renewable Energy Directive establishes binding targets for the share of renewable energy in the transport sector, including maritime and aviation.These limits affect the amount of these fuels that EU countries can count towards their national targets when calculating the overall national share of renewables and the share of renewables in transport. Reports on emissions from cultivation of raw materials for use in biofuels The UDB is a global traceability tool to trace consignments of renewable and recycled carbon fuels and the respective raw materials used for their production, from the point of origin of the raw materials to the point where fuels are put on the EU market for final consumption.These rules can tackle many of the identified cases if correctly and harmoniously applied by the certification bodies.The working group has made good progress on additional measures that could better prevent fraud in the future.This set of rules will be complementary to the ones on tracing raw materials and will cover the rest of supply chain traced by the UDB.The relevant implementing decision, once adopted, will be published in the official journal and on this website.In parallel, the Commission is working on further elaborating and completing the overall rules on the Union Database, as part of the planned revision of the Implementing Regulation on sustainability certification, that is also expected to be finalised by the end of 2026.To address the issue of ILUC, the directive includes limits for all food and feed crop-based biofuels as well as a limit on high ILUC-risk biofuels, fuels with a significant expansion in land with high carbon stock.The Commission has concluded its examination of fraud allegations notified by the German authorities in 2023 in relation to biodiesel imports from China. They serve as a renewable alternative to fossil fuels in the EU's transport sector, helping to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve the EU's security of supply. The Commission will also continue its technical work on fraud prevention and effective sustainability certification to support the voluntary schemes with the implementation of the existing rules. It also sets out criteria to certify low ILUC-risk biofuels, bioliquids and biomass fuels. The limit for biofuels with high ILUC-risk will gradually decrease to zero by 2030. Since this agricultural production is still necessary, food and feed crop-based biofuel production may lead to the extension of agricultural land into non-crop land, possibly including areas with high carbon stock, such as forests, wetlands and peatlands. EU countries will still be able to use (and import) fuels covered by these limits, but they will not be able to include volumes exceeding these limits when calculating the extent to which they have fulfilled their renewable targets.As it may cause the release of CO2 stored in trees and soil, ILUC poses a risk to the greenhouse gas savings that result from increased production of food and feed crop-based biofuels.The Commission has set up a working group with EU countries under the Committee on the Sustainability of Biofuels, Bioliquids, and Biomass Fuels to reflect on a revision of the legal text.While biofuels are important in helping the EU meet its greenhouse gas reduction targets, feedstock production for food and feed crop-based biofuels often takes place on cropland that was previously used for agriculture, to grow food or feed.The limit for biofuels with high ILUC-risk will gradually decrease to zero by 2030.The EU is working on the transition towards advanced biofuels made from sustainable feedstock.It also reinforces the sustainability criteria of bioenergy through different provisions, including the negative direct impact that the production of biofuels may have due to indirect land use change.The directive also introduces an exemption to these limits for biofuels certified as low ILUC-risk.The Post-ILUC Directive NUTS2 or equivalent reports of cultivation emissions are published on a separate page. Biofuels and biogas in co-processed fuels The Commission has concluded its examination of fraud allegations notified by the German authorities in 2023 in relation to biodiesel imports from China.The Commission will also continue its technical work on fraud prevention and effective sustainability certification to support the voluntary schemes with the implementation of the existing rules.While biofuels are important in helping the EU meet its greenhouse gas reduction targets, feedstock production for food and feed crop-based biofuels often takes place on cropland that was previously used for agriculture, to grow food or feed.The relevant implementing decision, once adopted, will be published in the official journal and on this website.This set of rules will be complementary to the ones on tracing raw materials and will cover the rest of supply chain traced by the UDB.To address the issue of ILUC, the directive includes limits for all food and feed crop-based biofuels as well as a limit on high ILUC-risk biofuels, fuels with a significant expansion in land with high carbon stock.The working group has made good progress on additional measures that could better prevent fraud in the future. These rules can tackle many of the identified cases if correctly and harmoniously applied by the certification bodies. Furthermore, the Commission is discussing with EU countries on a timeline for the full mandatory deployment of the Union database for biofuels. According to Article 30 (10) of the Renewable Energy Directive, the Commission has the obligation to take a decision whether an EU country that has initiated an examination request can count the biodiesel subject to that request towards its national renewable energy targets. The UDB is a global traceability tool to trace consignments of renewable and recycled carbon fuels and the respective raw materials used for their production, from the point of origin of the raw materials to the point where fuels are put on the EU market for final consumption.On the basis of the review of the current standards and the experience from examining the alleged fraud cases, the Commission may request voluntary schemes to adopt and implement action plans or review the implementation of already existing plans on fraud prevention.This set of rules will be complementary to the ones on tracing raw materials and will cover the rest of supply chain traced by the UDB.In parallel, the Commission is working on further elaborating and completing the overall rules on the Union Database, as part of the planned revision of the Implementing Regulation on sustainability certification, that is also expected to be finalised by the end of 2026.The working group has made good progress on additional measures that could better prevent fraud in the future.To address the issue of ILUC, the directive includes limits for all food and feed crop-based biofuels as well as a limit on high ILUC-risk biofuels, fuels with a significant expansion in land with high carbon stock.The relevant implementing decision, once adopted, will be published in the official journal and on this website. Quality standards for biofuels The Post-ILUC Directive NUTS2 or equivalent reports of cultivation emissions are published on a separate page.The Commission has also tabled a draft legal proposal for a delegated regulation on the Union Database that provides the legal basis for the extension of UDB traceability to cover raw materials upstream the supply chain.They serve as a renewable alternative to fossil fuels in the EU's transport sector, helping to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve the EU's security of supply.Biofuels are liquid transport fuels, such as biodiesel and bioethanol, made from biomass.The main verification method required in these rules is based on radiocarbon (14C) testing, while some flexibility is also allowed to use it in combination with other company or process-based testing methods.Working together with the European Committee for Standardisation (CEN), the EU aims to develop and improve the technical quality standards of biofuels and biofuel blends for vehicle engines. On the basis of the review of the current standards and the experience from examining the alleged fraud cases, the Commission may request voluntary schemes to adopt and implement action plans or review the implementation of already existing plans on fraud prevention. The working group has made good progress on additional measures that could better prevent fraud in the future. The Commission has set up a working group with EU countries under the Committee on the Sustainability of Biofuels, Bioliquids, and Biomass Fuels to reflect on a revision of the legal text. Sustainability criteria EU countries will still be able to use (and import) fuels covered by these limits, but they will not be able to include volumes exceeding these limits when calculating the extent to which they have fulfilled their renewable targets.Since end November 2024, the Commission’s Union Database for Biofuels (UDB) is functional covering both liquid and gaseous fuels and is being used by an increasing number of operators.The Commission has set up a working group with EU countries under the Committee on the Sustainability of Biofuels, Bioliquids, and Biomass Fuels to reflect on a revision of the legal text.The directive also introduces an exemption to these limits for biofuels certified as low ILUC-risk.As it may cause the release of CO2 stored in trees and soil, ILUC poses a risk to the greenhouse gas savings that result from increased production of food and feed crop-based biofuels.The EU is working on the transition towards advanced biofuels made from sustainable feedstock.It also reinforces the sustainability criteria of bioenergy through different provisions, including the negative direct impact that the production of biofuels may have due to indirect land use change.The limit for biofuels with high ILUC-risk will gradually decrease to zero by 2030.The Post-ILUC Directive NUTS2 or equivalent reports of cultivation emissions are published on a separate page.In close cooperation with the German authorities, it collected input from numerous stakeholders and reviewed audit reports from the voluntary certification scheme that certified the economic operators concerned. In close cooperation with the German authorities, it collected input from numerous stakeholders and reviewed audit reports from the voluntary certification scheme that certified the economic operators concerned. The Post-ILUC Directive NUTS2 or equivalent reports of cultivation emissions are published on a separate page. The practical work is carried out by CEN Technical Committee 19, consisting of experts from the automotive and fuel industries, biofuels producers, and other stakeholders. Working together with the European Committee for Standardisation (CEN), the EU aims to develop and improve the technical quality standards of biofuels and biofuel blends for vehicle engines. These limits affect the amount of these fuels that EU countries can count towards their national targets when calculating the overall national share of renewables and the share of renewables in transport.The main verification method required in these rules is based on radiocarbon (14C) testing, while some flexibility is also allowed to use it in combination with other company or process-based testing methods.They serve as a renewable alternative to fossil fuels in the EU's transport sector, helping to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve the EU's security of supply.It provides information that EU countries can use jointly with the criteria set out in the delegated act in order to identify high ILUC-risk fuels and certify low ILUC-risk fuels.Biofuels are liquid transport fuels, such as biodiesel and bioethanol, made from biomass.Working together with the European Committee for Standardisation (CEN), the EU aims to develop and improve the technical quality standards of biofuels and biofuel blends for vehicle engines.The Commission has also tabled a draft legal proposal for a delegated regulation on the Union Database that provides the legal basis for the extension of UDB traceability to cover raw materials upstream the supply chain. Biofuels According to Article 30 (10) of the Renewable Energy Directive, the Commission has the obligation to take a decision whether an EU country that has initiated an examination request can count the biodiesel subject to that request towards its national renewable energy targets.This set of rules will be complementary to the ones on tracing raw materials and will cover the rest of supply chain traced by the UDB.These rules can tackle many of the identified cases if correctly and harmoniously applied by the certification bodies.To address the issue of ILUC, the directive includes limits for all food and feed crop-based biofuels as well as a limit on high ILUC-risk biofuels, fuels with a significant expansion in land with high carbon stock.The relevant implementing decision, once adopted, will be published in the official journal and on this website.The UDB is a global traceability tool to trace consignments of renewable and recycled carbon fuels and the respective raw materials used for their production, from the point of origin of the raw materials to the point where fuels are put on the EU market for final consumption. It provides information that EU countries can use jointly with the criteria set out in the delegated act in order to identify high ILUC-risk fuels and certify low ILUC-risk fuels. EU countries will still be able to use (and import) fuels covered by these limits, but they will not be able to include volumes exceeding these limits when calculating the extent to which they have fulfilled their renewable targets. This set of rules will be complementary to the ones on tracing raw materials and will cover the rest of supply chain traced by the UDB. The practical work is carried out by CEN Technical Committee 19, consisting of experts from the automotive and fuel industries, biofuels producers, and other stakeholders.The revised Renewable Energy Directive establishes binding targets for the share of renewable energy in the transport sector, including maritime and aviation.The Commission adopted in June 2023 new rules establishing the share of biofuels and biogas in mixed fuels, co-processed using bio-based and fossil-based raw materials, and that can count towards the Renewable Energy Directive target for renewables in transport.According to Article 30 (10) of the Renewable Energy Directive, the Commission has the obligation to take a decision whether an EU country that has initiated an examination request can count the biodiesel subject to that request towards its national renewable energy targets.It also sets out criteria to certify low ILUC-risk biofuels, bioliquids and biomass fuels.By 2030, EU countries are required to either achieve a share of 29% of renewable energy in transport, or to reduce the emissions intensity of transport fuels by 14.5%, as well as a combined sub-target for renewable hydrogen and advanced biofuels of 5.5%.On the basis of the review of the current standards and the experience from examining the alleged fraud cases, the Commission may request voluntary schemes to adopt and implement action plans or review the implementation of already existing plans on fraud prevention.Furthermore, specific rules and methodological guidance for certification of low ILUC-risk biofuels, bioliquids and biomass fuels have been included in the Implementing Regulation on sustainability certification proposed by the Commission in line with Article 30(8) of the revised directive. Commission concludes examination of potential Chinese biofuel imports fraud Furthermore, specific rules and methodological guidance for certification of low ILUC-risk biofuels, bioliquids and biomass fuels have been included in the Implementing Regulation on sustainability certification proposed by the Commission in line with Article 30(8) of the revised directive.By 2030, EU countries are required to either achieve a share of 29% of renewable energy in transport, or to reduce the emissions intensity of transport fuels by 14.5%, as well as a combined sub-target for renewable hydrogen and advanced biofuels of 5.5%.The practical work is carried out by CEN Technical Committee 19, consisting of experts from the automotive and fuel industries, biofuels producers, and other stakeholders.It also sets out criteria to certify low ILUC-risk biofuels, bioliquids and biomass fuels.Furthermore, the Commission is discussing with EU countries on a timeline for the full mandatory deployment of the Union database for biofuels.Biofuels are liquid transport fuels, such as biodiesel and bioethanol, made from biomass.The draft text was subject to a call for feedback at the end of 2024 and in the first half of 2025 the Commission has had 2 rounds of discussions on the legal text of the delegated regulation with the expert group of EU countries.These limits affect the amount of these fuels that EU countries can count towards their national targets when calculating the overall national share of renewables and the share of renewables in transport. The Commission identified some systemic weaknesses in the way certification audits have been conducted and is taking action to address these issues. The Commission has concluded its examination of fraud allegations notified by the German authorities in 2023 in relation to biodiesel imports from China. The relevant implementing decision, once adopted, will be published in the official journal and on this website. Biofuels The Commission has set up a working group with EU countries under the Committee on the Sustainability of Biofuels, Bioliquids, and Biomass Fuels to reflect on a revision of the legal text.EU countries will still be able to use (and import) fuels covered by these limits, but they will not be able to include volumes exceeding these limits when calculating the extent to which they have fulfilled their renewable targets.As it may cause the release of CO2 stored in trees and soil, ILUC poses a risk to the greenhouse gas savings that result from increased production of food and feed crop-based biofuels.The EU is working on the transition towards advanced biofuels made from sustainable feedstock.The directive also introduces an exemption to these limits for biofuels certified as low ILUC-risk.The limit for biofuels with high ILUC-risk will gradually decrease to zero by 2030.Since end November 2024, the Commission’s Union Database for Biofuels (UDB) is functional covering both liquid and gaseous fuels and is being used by an increasing number of operators. The draft text was subject to a call for feedback at the end of 2024 and in the first half of 2025 the Commission has had 2 rounds of discussions on the legal text of the delegated regulation with the expert group of EU countries. Since end November 2024, the Commission’s Union Database for Biofuels (UDB) is functional covering both liquid and gaseous fuels and is being used by an increasing number of operators. In parallel, the Commission is working on further elaborating and completing the overall rules on the Union Database, as part of the planned revision of the Implementing Regulation on sustainability certification, that is also expected to be finalised by the end of 2026. The Commission has also tabled a draft legal proposal for a delegated regulation on the Union Database that provides the legal basis for the extension of UDB traceability to cover raw materials upstream the supply chain. The main verification method required in these rules is based on radiocarbon (14C) testing, while some flexibility is also allowed to use it in combination with other company or process-based testing methods. Biofuels are liquid transport fuels, such as biodiesel and bioethanol, made from biomass. The EU is working on the transition towards advanced biofuels made from sustainable feedstock. Sustainability criteria The revised Renewable Energy Directive establishes binding targets for the share of renewable energy in the transport sector, including maritime and aviation.The Commission adopted in June 2023 new rules establishing the share of biofuels and biogas in mixed fuels, co-processed using bio-based and fossil-based raw materials, and that can count towards the Renewable Energy Directive target for renewables in transport.The practical work is carried out by CEN Technical Committee 19, consisting of experts from the automotive and fuel industries, biofuels producers, and other stakeholders.It also sets out criteria to certify low ILUC-risk biofuels, bioliquids and biomass fuels.Furthermore, specific rules and methodological guidance for certification of low ILUC-risk biofuels, bioliquids and biomass fuels have been included in the Implementing Regulation on sustainability certification proposed by the Commission in line with Article 30(8) of the revised directive.By 2030, EU countries are required to either achieve a share of 29% of renewable energy in transport, or to reduce the emissions intensity of transport fuels by 14.5%, as well as a combined sub-target for renewable hydrogen and advanced biofuels of 5.5%. While biofuels are important in helping the EU meet its greenhouse gas reduction targets, feedstock production for food and feed crop-based biofuels often takes place on cropland that was previously used for agriculture, to grow food or feed. The directive also introduces an exemption to these limits for biofuels certified as low ILUC-risk. These limits affect the amount of these fuels that EU countries can count towards their national targets when calculating the overall national share of renewables and the share of renewables in transport. It also reinforces the sustainability criteria of bioenergy through different provisions, including the negative direct impact that the production of biofuels may have due to indirect land use change.The directive also introduces an exemption to these limits for biofuels certified as low ILUC-risk.The EU is working on the transition towards advanced biofuels made from sustainable feedstock.While biofuels are important in helping the EU meet its greenhouse gas reduction targets, feedstock production for food and feed crop-based biofuels often takes place on cropland that was previously used for agriculture, to grow food or feed.As it may cause the release of CO2 stored in trees and soil, ILUC poses a risk to the greenhouse gas savings that result from increased production of food and feed crop-based biofuels.EU countries will still be able to use (and import) fuels covered by these limits, but they will not be able to include volumes exceeding these limits when calculating the extent to which they have fulfilled their renewable targets.The Commission has set up a working group with EU countries under the Committee on the Sustainability of Biofuels, Bioliquids, and Biomass Fuels to reflect on a revision of the legal text. The Commission adopted in June 2023 new rules establishing the share of biofuels and biogas in mixed fuels, co-processed using bio-based and fossil-based raw materials, and that can count towards the Renewable Energy Directive target for renewables in transport. By 2030, EU countries are required to either achieve a share of 29% of renewable energy in transport, or to reduce the emissions intensity of transport fuels by 14.5%, as well as a combined sub-target for renewable hydrogen and advanced biofuels of 5.5%. Furthermore, specific rules and methodological guidance for certification of low ILUC-risk biofuels, bioliquids and biomass fuels have been included in the Implementing Regulation on sustainability certification proposed by the Commission in line with Article 30(8) of the revised directive. To address the issue of ILUC, the directive includes limits for all food and feed crop-based biofuels as well as a limit on high ILUC-risk biofuels, fuels with a significant expansion in land with high carbon stock. As it may cause the release of CO2 stored in trees and soil, ILUC poses a risk to the greenhouse gas savings that result from increased production of food and feed crop-based biofuels.