- Commission presents legislation on synthetic fuels
- Macron opts for continuity instead of renewal
- Russia stops gas supply to Finland
- Criticism of LNG supplies from Qatar
- Beijing’s Europe expert travels to Brussels
- Austria: Van der Bellen running for second term
- EU Commission criticizes German agricultural plan
- Profile: data protection expert Steffen Weiß
The media response was tremendous when the Commission presented its REPowerEU package last Wednesday. On the other hand, the consultations for several important legal acts began on Friday without much fuss. One of these is the financing of the €300 billion project, including the controversial auctioning of CO2 certificates from the market stability reserve.
After months of delay, the Commission also published the two delegated acts for the Renewable Energies Directive (RED II). No less than the questions of what exactly green hydrogen is and which climate criteria should apply to synthetic fuels are at stake. Manuel Berkel analyzes what significance the legal acts have for regions with a lot of renewable energies and what role CO2 storage plays.
In France, Emmanuel Macron has appointed the members of his new government. After his re-election, the president had announced a fresh start. However, the cabinet offers fewer new names than many had expected. Macron is apparently banking on continuity ahead of the parliamentary elections, as Tanja Kuchenbecker describes. Several ministers with good connections to Germany are in his cabinet.
Today and tomorrow, the EU finance ministers will meet in Brussels. There will likely be a debate, but no uproar, on the Commission’s recommendation, expected today, to extend the exemption clause of the Stability and Growth Pact until the end of 2023. Also on the agenda: economic aid for Ukraine. The G7 countries had already pledged billions on Friday. There could also be movement on the minimum tax for multinational companies – in the run-up, there were indications that Poland could abandon its blockade stance.
Till Hoppe
Feature
Synthetic fuels: production rules
The two delegated acts are of paramount importance not only for the transport industry but also for the energy industry and the mechanical and plant engineering sector. After all, they deal with some of the most important products for the hydrogen economy: liquid or gaseous renewable fuels of non-biogenic origin (RFNBOs) and recycled carbonaceous fuels from waste treatment and industrial processes.
With the first legal act, the Commission defines the criteria that apply to the renewable electricity used to produce RNFBOs. This is to prevent hydrogen electrolysis from boosting fossil-fuel electricity production and causing additional greenhouse gas emissions.
With the second legal act, the Berlaymont wants to regulate the methodology according to which the CO2 savings are calculated for both fuel types. There is a detailed annex on this. On the other hand, the minimum value for CO2 reduction is set for recycled fuels in the first place.
Continue reading now
… and get free access to this Professional Briefing for a month.
Are you already a guest at the Europe.Table? Log in now