International Biofuels Conference Concludes in Brussels

The European Commission concludes today a high-level international conference on sustainable development of biofuels, an integral part of the European Union's energy strategy and an important route to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and reinforcing energy security.

"We need to work towards a credible and sustainable international market and convergence in biofuel standards," said External Relations Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner. "This can only be achieved by a transparent and frank dialogue with all partners." And Commission President Barroso stressed that the global market in biofuels "should not only serve the interests of the car-owning rich, but also the interests of the world's poorer nations."

The Commission aims to cooperate extensively with international partners to ensure the sustainability of new developments in the production and use of biofuels, as Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson made clear: "Europeans won't pay a premium for biofuels if the ethanol in their car is produced unsustainably." Despite its economic benefits, Commissioner Mandelson continued, biofuel policy "is not ultimately an industrial policy or an agricultural policy - it is an environmental policy, driven above all by the greenest outcomes."

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