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P 031338Z OCT 08
FM AMEMBASSY PARIS
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 4422
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE PRIORITY

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 PARIS 001830 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR EUR Matthew Beh 
STATE FOR OES EGC Drew Nelson 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KGHG EAGR SENV ENRG TRGY EUN
SUBJECT: FRENCH VIEW ON EU BIOFUELS SUSTAINABILITY 
 
REF: SECSTATE 099217 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary.  France continues to press to 
conclude the climate and energy package before the 
end of its EU presidency as a step towards 
consolidating an EU position before the UNFCC Poznan 
meeting in December 2008.  France supports in 
principle the biofuel targets in the current draft 
of the EU climate change package, provided second- 
generation biofuel technologies develop further.  It 
is also favorable to the Renewable Energy Directive 
on limiting the indirect environmental impact of 
biofuel production, but is aware of the difficulties 
of implementation.  France remains open to dialogue 
but is non-committal on the use of science-based 
sustainability criteria.  End Summary 
 
----------------------------------------- 
Biofuel targets in EU Climate Change Bill 
----------------------------------------- 
 
¶2. (SBU) Per reftel, we discussed biofuel 
sustainability issues with French Ministries of 
Agriculture, Foreign Affairs, and Ecology, Energy 
and Sustainable Development (MEEDDAT) officials and 
with the French Agency for Environment and Energy 
Management (ADEME) as well as the Institut Francais 
du Petrole on September 29. 
¶3. (SBU) In line with the European Council, 
Parliament, and Commission, France supported the 
EU's 10 percent biofuels use target to satisfy road 
transport needs by 2020.  France's national target 
for biofuels incorporation in transportation is 5.75 
percent in 2008, 6.25 percent in 2009 and 7 percent 
in 2010. 
 
¶4. (SBU) France agreed to a 10 percent road 
transportation fuel (RTF) target from renewable 
sources by 2020 (a fifth should be from biofuels) as 
voted by the European Parliament's industrial 
committee in September and approved by the 
Commission as part of the draft climate package. 
That measure includes a revision clause allowing for 
target reassessment in several years, possibly 2015. 
France wants the option of appraising second 
generation biofuel technologies that, if available 
and sufficiently developed, would increase the 
chances of achieving the 10 percent goal by 2020. 
If the transition away from first generation 
biofuels is not feasible, France agrees the EU 
should consider cutting the renewables-in-transport 
target to 5 percent, without specifying how much 
should come from biofuels, renewable electricity, or 
hydrogen. 
 
¶5. (SBU) The head of MEEDDAT's Office for Petroleum 
Industries and New Energy Products said that France 
is feeling pressure regarding the large-scale use of 
first generation crop-based biofuels, and their 
impact on the fight against poverty, carbon 
emissions and deforestation.  Additionally, the 
European Parliament has pushed EU governments toward 
more alternative green technologies such as 
electricity and hydrogen-powered vehicles and away 
from biofuels.  Reflecting this trend, France's 
draft 2009 budget bill would reduce tax exemptions 
for biofuels starting in 2009, with complete 
elimination by 2012. 
 
---------------------------------- 
EU Renewable Energy Directive (RED) 
---------------------------------- 
 
¶6. (SBU) France supports the provisions of Article 
15 of the RED which specify a 35 percent minimum 
cut-off value for life-cycle GHG savings (increasing 
to 50 percent in 2015) from biofuels over fossil 
petrol and diesel in order to be eligible for 
financial support, and to count toward compliance 
with the Directive's renewable energy obligations 
concerning national targets.  This applies to third- 
country imports as well.  France agrees that other 
criteria stipulated in Article 15 should be taken 
into account in calculating the environmental impact 
of biofuels, but is aware that this will be 
difficult.  Article 15.3 notes that no biofuels 
should be made from raw material obtained on land 
with high biodiversity value or high carbon stock. 
These provisions are designed to limit the indirect 
 
PARIS 00001830  002 OF 002 
 
 
environmental impact of biofuel development and 
fulfill requirements of EC Regulation 1782/2003 
under the CAP. 
 
¶7. (SBU) MinAg contacts say they want to ensure the 
viability of the French biofuels producers and 
industry.  They hope that the Council's non-binding 
position  on Article 15 environmental and societal 
criteria will prevail over the more rigorous 
standards supported by the European Parliament.  The 
French confirm their intention of reaching an 
agreement on the Renewable Energy Directive before 
the end of the EU Presidency, but MinAg 
interlocutors informally express doubts on the 
feasibility of this goal in light of the tight 
calendar. 
 
¶8. (SBU) The MEEDDAT official noted that 
sustainability criteria can be extended to ensure 
biofuel production from non-EU supplier countries 
does not run counter to EU general legal and 
environmental practices in areas such as 
deforestation, child labor, and safety and health 
laws.  France expects to release this year Part One 
of its findings on national practices, methods, and 
materials used in calculating baseline biofuel life- 
cycle figures, and a complete national report by the 
end of the first quarter of 2009. 
 
--------------------------- 
Standards and Compatibility 
--------------------------- 
 
¶9. (SBU) The Fuel Quality Directive (FQD) currently 
under discussion also deals with renewable fuel. 
The European Parliament and Council are working to 
ensure the GHG criteria are the same in both FQD and 
RED directives. 
 
¶10. (SBU) Foreign Affairs and MEEDDAT officials 
confirmed that France shares U.S. views on the 
importance of ensuring that standards remain 
compatible with existing bilateral and multilateral 
agreements, and with the international certification 
system.  We underscored the importance of ongoing 
U.S.-EU efforts in the Global Bio-Energy 
Partnership, the usefulness of continuing 
cooperation with EU scientific experts, and the need 
for compatible science-based sustainability 
criteria.  This was also echoed in a September 25 
meeting between U.S. Environment Protection Agency 
and ADEME. 
 
STAPLETON