In a written answer on 14 July 2026, Climate Commissioner Wopke Hoekstra defended the Commission's approach to renewable fuels in road transport, arguing that the proposal amending the Car CO2 Regulation maintains a strong market signal for zero-emission vehicles while offering limited flexibility for advanced biofuels and e-fuels. The answer responds to a question from six S&D MEPs led by Annalisa Corrado, who warned that expanding the role of sustainable renewable fuels would undermine climate integrity, resource efficiency and investment certainty, citing higher costs, lower lifecycle CO2 savings and competition with aviation and maritime sectors.
Hoekstra acknowledged that vehicle electrification remains the most efficient pathway to decarbonisation, energy security and independence, and that global markets are moving in that direction. He stressed that the proposal supports continued investment by EU industrial value chains and safeguards their competitiveness. However, he also emphasised technological neutrality, allowing manufacturers more flexibility to meet targets. The contribution of renewable fuels is capped and limited to advanced and waste-based biofuels and renewable fuels of non-biological origin that meet strict greenhouse gas and sustainability criteria, in line with the Renewable Energy Directive. Other biofuel types that would raise sustainability and food-competition concerns are not incentivised.
The Commissioner pointed to the impact assessment accompanying the proposal, which analyses environmental, economic and social impacts. While acknowledging benefits for the renewable fuels sector, the assessment highlights the need for safeguards to avoid that any shift away from electrification leads to higher emissions, more energy consumption and increased total cost of vehicle ownership for citizens. It also warns against the risk that limited availability of advanced biofuels and RFNBO hampers decarbonisation of sectors without technological alternatives, such as aviation and maritime, and the achievement of climate objectives under the European Climate Law.
Hoekstra's answer contains no new numerical targets or deadlines beyond those already in the proposal. It reaffirms the Commission's policy orientation: prioritising electrification while allowing a strictly limited, sustainability-capped role for certain renewable fuels. The institutional follow-up will be the ordinary legislative procedure on the amending regulation, with the European Parliament and Council expected to debate the balance between electrification and fuel flexibility in coming months.