Austrian EU Presidency to prioritise bioenergy
London, 19 January: The recent gas dispute between Russia and Ukraine has prompted the Austrian Presidency of the EU to fast-track discussion of the EU's 'biomass action plan'.

"Following the alarming price hike for crude oil, and the gas dispute between Russia and Ukraine has made one thing very clear: we must take action in the EU to reduce dependence on fossil energy sources," said Josef Pröll, Austria's agriculture and environment minister.

Austria, which took over the rotating Presidency at the start of the year, has put the EU's biomass action plan on the agenda for the next meeting of member states' agriculture ministers, on 23 and 24 January.

The plan, released in December, lays out measures to increase the use of bioenergy for heating, electricity and transport across the EU, and assesses their potential to meet future energy needs. Among its recommendations are that biofuels are used to meet carbon dioxide emissions reduction targets for car fleets and that member states promote the use of biomass-based district heating schemes.

"We need to start discussions immediately so that the action plan can be speedily adopted and actively implemented," said Pröll. Europe could more than double its use of biomass over the next four years, he added.