On October 24, 2009, at a Saturday morning sitting of the lower house of the French Parliament, a ruling was made endorsing a proposal by the Government:
- to levy a carbon tax on biofuels
- and to increase taxation on bioethanol and biodiesel, which means higher taxation for bioethanol than for gasoline!
 
It should be noted that a carbon tax on biofuels breaches European regulations;  biofuels are 100% renewable energy, so the carbon content is calculated as zero, as is explicitly stated in the renewable energy directive adopted by the European Union in December 2008 under the French presidency!
 
The AGPB, AGPM, CGB and FOP are outraged by these decisions that will penalise 100% renewable energy which, to date, is the only large-scale solution immediately available to help reduce CO2 emissions from motor transport.
 
It is only a few weeks till the Copenhagen Summit and it is just a short time since the publication of the findings of the report conducted by the French Environment & Energy Management Agency, ADEME, on life cycle analyses of first generation biofuels as used in France, a report which noted the excellent energy and environmental balance audited.  These decisions are totally unjustifiable and unreasonable and are contrary to the Government’s pro-active policy for the environment.
 
The AGPB, AGPM, CGB and FOP are calling on the Head of State to act so that these conflicting and unfounded decisions do not invalidate commitments already given, including the one on carbon tax exemptions for all types of renewable energy and commitments to help develop biofuel in France.
 
The AGPB, AGPM, CGB and FOP are now waiting for prompt action implementing relevant corrective measures.
 
The biofuel sector makes key contributions to both agriculture and the fight against global warming.  It is also an important factor helping revive the economy through green growth, with investments made, mostly by farmers, in this new sector.
 
France, as the leading biofuel producer in the European Union is duty bound to continue with this development in order to assert its leadership in the EU.
 
Press Contacts     FOP-Florence Doat-Matrot 01.40.69.48.23 f.doat-matrot@prolea.com
                            AGPB - Pascal Hurbault 01.44.31.16.25 phurbault@agpb.fr
                            CGB - Carine Abecassis 01.44.69.41.36 cabecassis@cgb-france.fr
                            AGPM - Anne Kettaneh 01.44.31.10.96 anne.kettaneh@agpm.com