Union zur Förderung von Oel- und Proteinpflanzen E.V.
UFOP welcomes the BLE's initiative for the intensification of European cooperation
Berlin, 31 August 2012. The Union zur Förderung von Oel- und Proteinpflanzen e.V. (UFOP) is tracking with concern the varying administrative practice in the implementation of the Renewable Energy Directive in national law. In UFOP's view, this is above all the result of inadequate licensing requirements for the certification systems recognised by the EU Commission. UFOP therefore greatly welcomes the initiative from the Bundesanstalt für Landwirtschaft und Ernährung (BLE) [Federal Office of Agriculture and Food] to intensify cooperation between the different authorities across Europe.
The BLE is currently making available to the authorities responsible in other member states via its state-run Sustainable Biomass System database (Nabisy) information about the delivery of biofuels or biogas from Germany to other member states, to the extent that the final use of the biofuels and biogas is not intended to take place in Germany. This serves the purpose of preventing multiple counting of a biofuel or biogas delivery in the biofuel quota or multiple tax concessions in different member states. With this initiative, the BLE is confronting the misuse of sustainability certificates which was feared by UFOP. A precondition for the ITbased Nabisy system, which is constantly being further developed by the BLE, is that economic operators use it in case of a change to rebook biofuels or biogas to the recipient state, in which the final use should take place. In future every responsible authority in a member state will have access in NABISY to its own national account for transfers for biofuels or biogas not supplied in Germany for final use.
These and other current questions - for example problems in the double-counting of biodiesel from waste materials - will also be the subject of the 10th International Biofuel Conference of BBE/UFOP on occasion of the fair International Green Week in January 2013 in Berlin. The program will shortly be placed on the homepage: http://event.bioenergie.de/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=51&Itemid=25
About UFOP e.V.: The Union zur Förderung von Oel- und Proteinpflanzen e. V. (UFOP) represents, in national and international committees, the political interests of the companies, associations and institutions involved in the production, processing and marketing of indigenous oil and protein plants. UFOP sponsors studies on how to optimise agricultural production and the development of new recycling options in the food, nonfood and feed spheres. UFOP's public work serves to promote sales of all end products of indigenous oil and protein plants.