Together with nine other EU Member States, Sweden – through Minister for Energy and Digital Development Anders Ygeman – has signalled that it does not support the proposal to introduce additional requirements on bioenergy in the EU taxonomy. The countries presented their position in a joint letter to the European Commission.
The message conveyed in the letter is that it is vital that bioenergy that meets the sustainability criteria in the EU’s Renewable Energy Directive is also classified as a sustainable investment under the taxonomy.
“The Commission’s proposal on bioenergy should be revised. The taxonomy must be designed so that it leads to increased investments in bioenergy, hydropower and other renewable energy” says Mr Ygeman.
Mr Ygeman took the initiative to the letter that has been signed by Slovenia, Finland, Lithuania, Estonia, Slovakia, Hungary, Poland, Latvia and the Czech Republic as well as Sweden.
On 20 November, the European Commission published a draft of a delegated act for the climate-related goals in the taxonomy. The draft was subject to public consultation until 18 December. More than 40 000 responses were received, which are now being analysed by the Commission.
This is the second letter on the taxonomy that Mr Ygeman has sent to the European Commission. Last autumn, Mr Ygeman and Norway’s Minister of Petroleum and Energy Tina Bru sent a letter on the criteria in the taxonomy that concern hydropower.
