Biomass use and the production of biofuels face several international challenges. The main tasks of the project are to describe and compare national and international support programmes and framework conditions for the production of biofuels as well as to accompany discussions on EU Directives in the field of bioenergies and the sustainability of biofuels.

Biofuels have attracted more and more international attention in recent years.  The increasing importance of the production and use of such fuels is due to the rising oil price, the need for replacing fossil fuels in order to improve supply security and to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions in the transport sector and to provide alternative income opportunities for farmers.  As a result, political support mechanisms have been broadly implemented in Germany, the European Union and on international level.

The main objectives of the project are

• the analysis of both national and international support programmes and the framework conditions for the production of biofuels 
• accompanying discussions on EU directives in the field of bioenergy and on the sustainability of biofuels
• the development of proposals for an increased international cooperation in the fields of biomass and biofuels.

In addition, bilateral and multilateral workshops will be organised to facilitate an exchange of experiences between key import and supplier countries.

In this project, the Ecologic Institute supports the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety in facing the international challenges in the field of biofuels. Ecologic provides technical and functional assistance as well as support with regard to organisational matters.