Europe’s ambitious targets to replace increasing quantities of fossil kerosene with green aviation fuels will be extremely challenging to meet - though with a broad and evolving mix of fuel sources, as well as sustained political and industry support, it is within grasp.
Nuclear power is making a comeback on the EU energy scene after an eventful 2022-2023 year, which according to Paris, reflects an "excellent diplomatic record" for France in defending atomic energy. EURACTIV looks at the bigger picture.
French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday (16 June) announced €500 million in public investment into the French aviation industry to help the EU meet its aviation decarbonisation targets for 2030 and 2050.
Every plane departing from an EU airport will have to partially run on green jet fuel from 2025, according to a deal reached by the European Parliament and EU member states late on Tuesday (25 April).
Lawmakers should boost much-needed green fuel production by inserting obligatory targets for biofuels derived from agricultural and forestry waste into the EU's upcoming green jet fuel law, the biofuels industry has told the European Commission.
An EU greenlight for the use of certain animal parts to make sustainable jet fuel will decimate the pet food industry, leading to a scarcity in nourishing feed for household animals, the European pet food trade association has said.
Amidst the march towards ending private jet usage, there is an argument to be made, however unpalatable, that the attention of the political ire is misplaced - or at least that it is too narrow.
With the Fit-for-55 package, the European Commission has set an ambitious goal in the direction of climate protection and to meet the target of "net zero" CO2 emissions in 2050. However, the reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 55% until 2030 can only be realistically achieved if drastic emission reductions are reached in the coming years.
Climate NGOs and airlines have called on lawmakers to narrow the definition of sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) ahead of a European Parliament vote on Thursday (7 July).
Lawmakers in the European Parliament’s Transport committee voted to expand the definition of green jet fuel yesterday (27 June), a decision that could see controversial biofuel feedstocks used to cut aviation emissions.
A cap should be placed on the amount of low-carbon jet fuel produced from used cooking oil, according to one of the European Parliament's lawmakers in charge of the bloc’s aviation fuel legislation proposal.
A draft European Parliament report calls for greater ambition in the EU’s proposed green jet fuel law, including a higher percentage of mandatory sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) for planes refuelling in the bloc.
The ‘Fit for 55’ climate laws package and COVID transport disruptions are set to dominate EU transport policy debates once again in 2022, as the EU seeks to deepen progress on the green files while grappling with the mobility impact of the resurgent virus.
The EU’s "restrictive" approach to biofuels sustainability criteria will harm producers’ ability to meet increased demand for green fuels coming from the transport sector, says Henna Virkkunen, a Finnish lawmaker in the European Parliament.
Proposed EU legislation aimed at cutting flight emissions by ramping up the use of sustainable aviation fuels (SAFs) has excluded the use of first-generation biofuels, arguing they bring "limited environmental benefits".
On Wednesday (14 July), the European Commission is due to table a package of energy and climate laws aimed at reaching the EU's new, more ambitious climate goals. EURACTIV gives you the lowdown on the plan.
An EU mandate for the use of animal fats and used cooking oils in sustainable aviation fuel is set to enrich large biofuel players such as Total and Neste, at the expense of most of the industry, the European Waste-to-Advanced Biofuels Association (EWABA) has warned.
Air France-KLM flew a biofuel-powered Airbus A350 from Paris to Montreal on Tuesday (18 May), demonstrating the airline's readiness to adopt low-emissions fuel despite deep industry divisions over the pace of its adoption.
Two of Europe’s leading aviation companies have argued that scaling up sustainable aviation fuels (SAFs) is an essential step to decarbonise flying, as hydrogen is not yet ready to be adopted on a large scale.
The EU’s upcoming ReFuelEU proposal, aimed at cutting emissions in the aviation sector, will apply a staggered blending mandate for green jet fuel, with the percentage scaling up in roughly five-year intervals, EURACTIV understands.
The aviation industry is divided on whether an expected EU mandate on green jet fuel should include all flights departing from the bloc or be restricted to inter-EU flights, with the fault line running largely between budget airlines and legacy carriers.
The European airline industry has launched a sustainability plan to achieve carbon neutrality in the aviation sector by 2050, a roadmap they say will align the notoriously carbon-intensive sector, currently suffering a huge pandemic-caused downturn, with EU climate goals.
Ministers from eight European countries have called on the European Commission to boost the uptake of sustainable aviation fuels (SAFs) by requiring them to be blended into kerosene, a move they say will drive down emissions in the sector.
