Biofuel Cities European Partnership Officially Launched
Stockholm, Sweeden, Nov. 8,2007
Source: Grainnet.com
http://www.grainnet.com/articles/
Biofuel_Cities_European_Partnership_officially_launched-50405.html
After several months of intensive preparation, the Biofuel Cities European Partnership was officially launched Nov. 8, at the Clean Vehicles and Fuels (CVF) Symposium in Stockholm, Sweden. Alexandra Langenheld of the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Transport and Energy officially inaugurated the Biofuel Cities European Partnership, which is a forum for the application of biofuels, open to all stakeholders in the area of biofuels for vehicles. 400 delegates, from 25 countries, representing all links in the biofuel chain attended the launch at the Biofuel Cities stand at the CVF symposium.
The realisation that both our climate and energy supplies are coming under pressure has reached across society and answers and solutions are needed. Biofuels can make a contribution to this. The issue of biofuels for transport has become increasingly prevalent in the media and on political agendas, a fact reflected by the recent European Commission target of 10% volume of all fuels to be comprised of biofuels by 2010.
Yet problems arise in that existing low-blend fuels alone will not be sufficient to meet such targets and high-blend fuels still require more structural adjustments in vehicle technology and fuel distribution systems before they can make a concrete impact. This is where the Biofuel Cities European Partnership will contribute to driving debate and progress in the biofuels sector.
With its aim of promoting the broadscale, yet sustainable, use of biofuels for transport, Biofuel Cities creates a platform, in which stakeholders from the entire biofuels chain are represented, enabling them to come together to form new partnerships for projects, engaging in dynamic networking and together find solutions to common problems.
Biofuel Cities further supports biofuel stakeholders through information, events, tools and publications, and offers an opportunity to independently assess biofuel projects including both research & development and demonstration orientated projects, in order to guide industrial and commercial stakeholders, local governments, the European Commission and others on the implementation of biofuels.
Many exemplary biofuel cities, such as Stockholm–with its numerous municipal and private biofuel activities–have joined the European Partnership and actively participate in supporting the use of biofuels for transport by sharing their experiences first-hand through workshops and study tours.