Members of the European Parliament voted on 11 September to substantially reduce the EU's targets on biofuels
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The vote by the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy, to reduce the EU's ambitious target that 10% of transport fuels should come from biofuels by 2020.

The committee voted to keep the 10% target, but that only 6% should come from biofuels, and the remaining 4% should come from new technologies that posed less of a threat to food security and the environment. We would have liked it to go further by dropping biofuels altogether from the renewable energy directive (PDF), which promotes the use of renewable energy from sources including biofuels.

However the MEPs included a welcome clause for a review into the social impacts of biofuels before there are any further increases. This is especially important given the links identified between biofuels and escalating food prices.

Whilst not the ideal outcome, the European Parliament has made important progress.

It is now up to EU member states to follow the European Parliament's lead, and to place the needs of poor people and the environment before those of powerful industrial and agricultural lobbies, rather than seek to water down the MEPs' proposals.

Robert Bailey, Oxfam biofuels policy adviser