The EHA together with other European sustainable energy organisations, like the Renewables Grid Initiative,  are joining forces to inform the new EU Parliament on current status of clean distributed generation and sustainable network development this autumn. New MEP have started their activities last week in Strasbourg and the president and vice presidents of the most important committees have been elected. The EHA is mapping MEP according to country and interest to inform EHA national association members on who could become instrumental in supporting the role of hydrogen in different policy dossiers. One of the more important dossiers is the Climate and Energy 2030 Communication COM 2014/15 in which the  EU Commission presents its 2030 framework for Climate and Energy policies in which it propose to abandon targets for renewable energy or greenhouse gas intensity of transport energy after 2020. This creates a gap in the suite of policies available to decarbonise transport and will slow down progress and drive up costs. In addition, by abandoning a harmonised EU approach, the Commission could undermine investment certainty for those companies developing next-generation transport energy and fuels. A joint letter of several EU organisations headed by Transport and Environment is preparing a joint letter that the EHA has been asked to co-sign. The letter proposes that EU clean fuel policy should not rely on including Transport in the EU Emission Trading System and abide to the following principles:

1. Stimulate fuels and energy with the highest carbon savings from strictly sustainable sources rather than just encouraging supply of large quantities. This approach has to include correct lifecycle carbon accounting of energy used in transport.

2. Provide sufficient long-term stability to stimulate the development of new technologies that contribute to environmental protection, growth, jobs and energy security

3. Be as uniform as possible as regards requirements to the supply chain, while respecting the circumstances of individual member states. A change in legal form from a transport fuel directive towards a regulation could be one way of achieving this objective.

At the last EHA AGM on June 25, the impact on the use of hydrogen as a transport fuel of the review Fuel Quality Directive was discussed. Under article 7a the EU is expected to calculate fuels’ emissions intensity on a lifecycle basis, starting from when fuels are extracted up to their exhaust from vehicle tailpipes. Although the directive has existed for nearly five years – and is used to calculate biofuels’ overall emissions – it has never been used to regulate fossil fuels a member states can’t agree on a methodology for calculating lifecycle emissions.