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DE RUEHFR #2213 3430704
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 080704Z DEC 08
FM AMEMBASSY PARIS
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 4995
INFO RUEHZN/ENVIRONMENT SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY COLLECTIVE
RUCNMEM/EU MEMBER STATES COLLECTIVE
RUCNMUC/EU CANDIDATE STATES COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS PARIS 002213 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
Pass USDA/FAS FOR OA/YOST/jackson/rosado; 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KGHG EAGR SENV ENRG TRGY EUN EU FR
SUBJECT: French welcome Biofuels "sustainability" Demarche 
 
REF: State 123492 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary: In response to reftel, the Embassy has reached out 
to French Government officials in the Ministries of Agriculture, 
Economy and Environment.  The Agriculture Ministry told us that the 
EU is still discussing the biofuels sustainability and criteria 
issue, and that they still hope to resolve the issue by the end of 
its Presidency December 31.  The Ministry of Economy hopes to 
discuss this issue further in the Trans-Atlantic Economic Council 
(TEC) in December.  We had difficulty reaching the appropriate 
officials in the Environment Ministry, but left the demarche with 
subordinates.  End summary. 
 
¶2. (SBU) On Thursday, November 20 Jean-Yves Cortey, head of the 
Biomass Office, General Directorate for Agricultural Food and 
Regional Policies, Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries (MAP) told 
the Agricultural Minister-Counselor that MAP welcomes the demarche 
and will consider its points.  On Friday, November 21 the Embassy Ag 
office also forwarded the demarche to senior advisors to MAP 
Minister Barnier. 
 
¶3.  (SBU) Speaking of the EU Directive, Cortey explained MAP's main 
concern is the Indirect Land Use Change (ILUC) criteria.  An initial 
EU draft provided that, if the EC Commission failed to develop ILUC 
methodology by 2012, then the Greenhouse Gas (GHG) ration for 
biofuel from crops (including corn ethanol) would be reduced, i.e., 
penalized, vis-`-vis other renewable fuel sources.  France now 
supports wording that "the Commission must propose a methodology to 
calculate ILUC by 2012," without mentioning a penalty, in order to 
protect the EU biofuel infant industry. 
 
¶4. (SBU)  On Wednesday, November 26, Elie Beauroy of the Ministry of 
Economics, Finance and Industry's Treasury and Economic Policy 
Bureau told Econoff and ESTH Counselor that the French are focusing 
on the direct effects of biofuels, while the indirect effects will 
be noted, but not binding.  The Commission will provide reports on 
the impact of biofuel production on food prices, land use, and 
working conditions in exporting countries.  Science-based 
sustainability criteria will be applied mostly to first generation 
biofuels provided their production is not on land with high 
biodiversity value or high carbon stock.  The European directive 
includes a "life cycle" methodology for measuring the percentage of 
emissions reductions sought from biofuels. However, U.S. corn 
ethanol is still excluded at this stage. Beauroy suggested 
discussing this issue in the next TEC meeting scheduled for 
December.  He was non-committal on extending by a year the 
implementation of the Energy and Climate legislative package. At 
Beauroy's request, we emailed the text of the Energy Independence 
and Security Act (EISA). 
 
 
¶5.  (SBU) Earlier in the week, the ESTH Counselor had reached out to 
officials in the Ministry of Ecology, Environment, Sustainable 
Development and Regional Planning  (MEEDDAT), but was unable to 
obtain an appointment with officials sufficiently senior to respond 
authoritatively.  We left talking points with MEEDDAT officials and 
will follow up next week. 
 
Stapleton