by Géraldine Kutas | Jun 9, 2015 | Sem categoria
I recently attended a conference in Brussels on the negotiations of the Environmental Goods Agreement (EGA). The negotiations, which were mandated by the 2001 Doha Declaration, were launched on a plurilateral basis in July last year by a group of WTO countries...
by Géraldine Kutas | May 12, 2015 | Sem categoria
This year’s theme of the Universal Exposition EXPO Milano 2015 “Feeding the planet. Energy for life” couldn’t be more spot on for us! I’m very excited to present Brazil’s success story with renewable fuels and to organise a conference on “Producing food and energy for...
by Géraldine Kutas | Apr 29, 2015 | Sem categoria
Members of the European Parliament finally endorsed the COREPER text on ILUC yesterday morning in plenary. After the disappointment of not winning concessions from Member States on any of their main points, MEPs have – against the will of many – voted in favour of the...
by Géraldine Kutas | Mar 16, 2015 | Sem categoria
Working for Brazilian interests, you may say my judgment is biased, but I just can’t help praising the decision taken by the Brazilian government to increase, today, the ethanol blend in gasoline to 27%. This move is expected to have a positive impact on the biofuels...
by Géraldine Kutas | Feb 24, 2015 | Sem categoria
Today, the European Parliament’s Environment committee adopted a second reading position on the ILUC dossier, and I’d like to congratulate MEPs for many of the points they expressed through their vote. First, they signed off on a 6.5% target for energy from renewable...
by Géraldine Kutas | Jan 22, 2015 | Sem categoria
Well before we started thinking about our New Year’s resolutions, the European Commission published on 16 December its work programme for 2015, based on 23 new initiatives built around 10 key policy priorities. We can only applaud the targeted nature of measures...
by Géraldine Kutas | Dec 15, 2014 | Sem categoria
On 4 December 2014, the Environment Committee in the European Parliament held a public hearing on air quality and on national emissions beyond 2020. Emissions from road traffic were naturally discussed and the debate focused, as expected, on testing methods. The new...
by Géraldine Kutas | Nov 13, 2014 | Sem categoria
A Ecofys study published yesterday – on behalf of the European Oilseed Alliance (EOA), the European Biodiesel Board (EBB) and the European Vegetable Oil and Protein meal Industry (FEDIOL) – gives new life to biofuels and certainly brings new elements to the debate on...
by Géraldine Kutas | Nov 6, 2014 | Sem categoria
On 24 October European leaders reached an agreement on the framework which will set the energy and climate scene for the next 15 years. The deal embraces several elements which will form the basis of the legislative proposals to be developed by the European...
by Géraldine Kutas | Oct 23, 2014 | Sem categoria
After two intense weeks of confirmation hearings in the Parliament, highly political discussions in Brussels, Strasbourg and EU capitals and after a mini re-shuffle of portfolios, the Junker Commission has been confirmed by the Parliament. It was described by Mr...
by Géraldine Kutas | Sep 8, 2014 | Sem categoria
After an intense summer break, which saw Brussels far from quiet but rather busy speculating about the nominations to top EU posts, business has resumed in the institutions. In the Parliament, the Environment committee has already met to vote on the questionnaire to...
by Géraldine Kutas | Jul 15, 2014 | Sem categoria
After a short break occasioned by the European elections in May, it will soon be time for new and returning Members of the European Parliament to embark on second reading discussions on ILUC. Member States adopted their common position on 13 June and, as soon the text...
by Géraldine Kutas | Jun 13, 2014 | Sem categoria
Today, European Energy Ministers finally adopted the Council’s position on ILUC, after EU ambassadors passed the Greek compromise last week. Key elements of the positions are a cap for conventional biofuels at 7% and a non-binding sub-target for advanced biofuels at...
by Géraldine Kutas | May 28, 2014 | Sem categoria
After the stalemate at the December Council where a blocking minority of Member States prevented the adoption of a Council common position on ILUC, Member States’ Permanent Representatives finally agreed today on a compromise text proposed by the Greek Presidency...
by Géraldine Kutas | May 8, 2014 | Sem categoria
Having looked at the recently published manifestos of the European political groups, I realized surprisingly that the main groups, EPP and PES, do not even mention transport issues in their priorities for the next five years. Isn’t it odd? Transport is still one of...
