In February 2016 the European Commission launched a public consultation on the Bioenergy Sustainability Policy. The objective is to consult stakeholders and citizens on an updated EU policy on sustainable bioenergy for the period 2020-2030, as a part of the EU Renewable Energy Package foreseen by the end of 2016.

The biomass policy is critical for forest owners and therefore this public consultation is of utmost importance. Some of the most crucial elements comprise of possible impacts on sustainable forest management, carbon neutrality, cascading use and imports. The consultation is open until 10 May 2016 and can be found here. On 13 April the Commission is organising a dedicated stakeholder conference on this subject. More information on this is yet to come, but CEPF will aim to actively contribute.

The Commission is expected to publish their proposal on the Renewable Energy Package, including the biomass policy, during the last quarter of 2016. The proposal will be presented together with a number of other related initiatives, e.g. new electricity market design, energy efficiency directive and performance of buildings directive.