EU Policies on Bioenergy and their Potential Clash with the WTO

Swinbank, A. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2526-2026 (2009) EU Policies on Bioenergy and their Potential Clash with the WTO. Journal of Agricultural Economics, 60 (3). pp. 485-503. ISSN 0021-857X doi: 10.1111/j.1477-9552.2009.00212.x

Abstract/Summary

The paper outlines EU policy on bioenergy, including biofuels, in the context of its policy initiatives to promote renewable energy to combat greenhouse gas emissions and climate change. The EU's Member States are responsible for implementing EU policy: thus, the UK's Renewables Obligation on electricity suppliers and its Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation and road-fuel tax rebates are examined. It is unlikely that EU policy is in conflict with the WTO Agreement on Agriculture or that on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures, but its provisions on environmental sustainability criteria could be problematic.