Kelly leads biofuel discussions at EU

IRELAND South MEP and Leader of the Fine Gael in the European Parliament Seán Kelly has hosted an EU biofuels strategy meeting with MEPs, and stakeholders in Brussels.

Mr Kelly, who is leading current parliamentary negotiations on renewable energy for the EPP, stressed the importance of protecting the investments made in conventional biofuels.

The current renewable energy directive, and the long debates on Indirect Land Use Change (ILUC) it brought, has caused endless uncertainty for investors,” said the Ireland South MEP who hosted the event to highlight the various issues surrounding Europe’s decarbonisation deadlock.

As Ireland’s only full Member of the Industry, Research & Energy (ITRE) Committee, Mr Kelly underlined the need for a fair and practical solution, and for Member States to recognise the opportunities at hand.

“We will not replace the transport fleet with Electric Vehicles overnight, or even in the short term, without significant expense for the taxpayer. For this reason, we need to have biofuels in our fuel mix - otherwise we will continue to burn more and more polluting fossil fuels,” he said.

“Additionally, biofuels bring significant opportunities for our farmers. Tillage farming has taken a hit in many parts of Europe, not least Ireland, in recent times,” said Mr Kelly.

“With a biofuels policy beyond 2020, we can incentivise the uptake of sustainable European biofuels - and I emphasise the sustainable aspect - and give an important revenue source to our farmers,” he said.

MEP Kelly hosted the event ahead of this week’s European Parliament vote on a report on the Promotion of the use of energy from renewable sources, on which the Ireland South MEP led negotiations for the EPP Group.

Niall Harty of Harty Nutrition Ltd who won the Best Start Up Business category at the Midwest Finals of the Ireland’s Best Young Entrepreneur (IBYE) competition on Tuesday with his Origin Clean Protein Bars business. The business, which operates out of...