FFE report: E26
CPE team participated in this symbolic action on Jan 31st
gérard
joint action of Coordination Paysanne Europeenne (CPE), Corporate Europe
Observatory (CEO), Friends of the Earth Europe (FoEE), Inter-Environnement
Wallonie, A SEED and FIAN
Protest in jammed Brussels against Agrofuel corporate
proposals
Wednesday, 30 January 2008
January 31 2008, Brussels - Today, campaigners
staged an anti-agrofuel protest in front of the Diamant conference centre in Brussels.
Here, the 'European Biofuels Technology Platform' (EBFTP) presented their advise
for the EU's research budget and policy on agrofuels to 'stakeholders'. The EBFTP
absurdly promotes a target of 25% blending of agrofuels for all transport needs by
2030, in a time where the currently proposed 10% is already highly contested. The
EBFTP is chaired by Luis Cabra of Repsol and Anders Röl of Volvo. Their
respective corporations have a bad track record of pollution and invasion of
indigenous territories (Repsol) and of lobbying against stricter environmental
standards while threatening with relocation (Volvo).
The corporate representatives and the odd academic were welcomed with a
'Texacorn' agrofuel pump filled with popcorn, banners and a lively sambaband.
Meanwhile, protesters explained the reason for this early and fresh morning gathering
to the arriving participants. According to the protesters this is an absurd target that
will have devastating effects on small farmers, food production and the environment.
Also, the participation of biotech companies makes clear that more research budget
will go into the development of 'new' GM agrofuel crops such as GM trees. For this
year, a field trial with GM poplar trees for 'bio-ethanol' has been applied for in
Belgium. GM trees, as a 'second generation' agrofuel feedstock, will cause huge
damage to biodiversity. More arguments are presented in the attached press release
sent out today.
The protest was helped by Brussels daily reality; completely jammed traffic roads in
the morning rush hour. All the cars passing by on pedestrian speed gave the message
that the real solution to the energy and climate crisis are a serious reduction of caruse and consumption of fuel, both fossil and from agriculture origin.
The 'Texacorn' petrol pump stressed the problematic competition between food and
fuel production. The banners read "Agrofuels, no cure for oil addiction!" and
"Manger ou conduir; il faut choisir" (to eat or drive; we will have to choose). This
and future actions will help to make clear that the promotion of agrofuels is largely in
the interest of car companies and agribusiness, in dire need for a greener image. The
issue of agrofuels is no solution to oil addiction, climate change or poverty; but
instead fuel the expansion of monoculture plantations. A very controversial business.
Press release
Civil society groups slam megalomaniacal agrofuel plans by industry
An industry-led advisory group backed by EU Research Commissioner proposes a
25% target of agrofuels for road transport in the midst of growing critique of the
negative impacts of large-scale agrofuels.
Thursday 31st January 2008, Brussels / Amsterdam
Civil society groups demonstrated this morning in front of a gathering of the
European Biofuels Technology Platform (EBFTP) in Brussels, protesting against the
plans of this industry-led EU advisory group for a dramatic boost of Europe’s target
for agrofuels use in transport to 25% (by 2030). The EBFTP’s demand comes at a
time when the European Commission’s current proposal for a 10% target is facing
intensive criticism due to the severe social and environmental effects of expanding
production of agrofuels crops, especially in developing countries.
The EBFTP, dominated by oil, car and biotech companies, met today to launch the
Strategic Research Agenda (SRA) and Strategy Deployment Document (SDD),
which outline a detailed road map for allocating EU research & development funds in
order to reach the 25 % target.
“It is ludicrous that Research Commissioner Potocnik last week backed the EBFTP,
an industry platform promoting a 25% agrofuel target which would cause a further
large scale environmental and social disaster in countries like Brazil and Indonesia,
where farmers communities and plantation workers are already facing displacement
and deteriorating working conditions due to the recent agrofuel boom”, says Jonas
Vanreusel from FIAN, an international organisation for the right to food. Negative
impacts would not limit to producer countries in the South, “Europe, which imports
agricultural products and food, has not enough agricultural land to produce agrofuels,
except for local use on the farm, and should give priority to food production” says
Gérard Choplin, from the European Farmers Coordination (CPE).
“Decisions about EU’s research funding should not be left in the hand of
corporations with a direct commercial interest in boosting agrofuels production. We
don't want funding for GMO agrofuel crops like GM trees, for example”, says Nina
Holland of Corporate Europe Observatory, an Amsterdam-based research and
campaign group. The EBFTP was established in June 2006 at the initiative of the
Commission’s DG Research and continues to have the undiluted backing of
Commissioner Potocnik, despite growing criticism. Earlier this month, a coalition of
civil society groups wrote to Commissioner Potocnik, urging him not to follow the
EBFTP’s advice but instead fund research to determine the impact of agrofuels on
greenhouse gas emissions.
The Commission’s current 10% target (by 2020) has recently been heavily criticised
by a range of prominent voices including the UN´s special rapporteur on right to food
Jean Ziegler, the UK parliament's environmental audit committee (EAC), the
Commission’s Joint Research Centre, as well as EU Environment and Development
Commissioners, Stavros Dimas and Louis Michel. Calls for a moratorium on all
targets and incentives for expanding agrofuels use are on the rise. “Ironically, the
EBFTP conference is held to coincide with the EU Sustainable Energy Week, but
agrofuels are not a sustainable cure to our oil addiction, and even less to climate
change” says Nina Holland.
CONTACT
Nina Holland, Corporate Europe Observatory (CEO): < nina@corporateeurope.org >
USE OF THE PICTURES
It is possible to use the pictures on this page in other publications. By clicking on a
picture you can go to a downloadable version with a higher resolution. The pictures
are taken by Marc-Antoon de Schryver (\n marc-antoon@indymedia.be ), it would be
kind to give him the credits when you use one of the pictures.
NOTES FOR EDITORS
[1] The demonstration was organised jointly by Coordination Paysanne Europeenne
(CPE), Corporate Europe Observatory (CEO), Friends of the Earth Europe (FoEE),
Inter-Environnement Wallonie, A SEED and FIAN.
[2] Despite EBFTP's claims to be multistakeholder fora, the group is dominated by
corporations and research centres with close ties to industry. Only 2 out of some 125
members of the 5 working groups are NGO representatives. More information about
the EBFTP and its composition can be found in: he EU’s agrofuel folly: policy
capture by corporate interests, briefing report by Corporate Europe Observatory (June
2007).
www.corporateeurope.org/agrofuelfolly.html
[3] The letter can be found at: www.corporateeurope.org/docs/letter_sra_biofuels.pdf
Last Updated ( Thursday, 31 January 2008 )