Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2007-05-22-Speech-2-285"
| Predicate | Value (sorted: default) |
|---|---|
| rdf:type | |
| dcterms:Date | |
| dcterms:Is Part Of | |
| dcterms:Language | |
| lpv:document identification number |
"en.20070522.26.2-285"2
|
| lpv:hasSubsequent | |
| lpv:speaker | |
| lpv:spoken text |
".
It is a justified question. There is a lot of land in the European Union that is not being used. Therefore much of this land could be used for producing biomass, not only for biofuels but also for producing heat, for cooling or for producing electricity. A number of countries have a situation that is sustainable; they produce 12 % of their electricity from biomass. At the same time, they also produce biofuels. So there is potential for using that land. If I look at the second generation of biofuels, there is land that could be used for producing biofuels.
The Commission has calculated that the European Union could cover 14% of its needs, even if we do not import biofuels from other parts of the world.
Concerning the increase in the price of food products, this is influenced by many elements. You mentioned the example of maize. The price of corn is decided on the global market and it has been highly affected by the severe drought in Australia and the potential growth in the United States. There is some correlation if the farmer is given the choice of using his land for producing either biofuels or basic foodstuffs. But I believe the market will respond appropriately and, if our sustainability scheme that will encourage the production of biofuels with fewer CO2 emissions is put in place, there will be a balance in this market.
I have never said that we will be able to replace all the oil we use with biofuels. There is potential both in the European Union and globally, but it will never replace all the oil we use. At this stage I would say that it is not a question of food prices or the use of biofuels, because globally biofuels are used on a very small scale and they definitely have not had any impact at this stage on the price of foodstuffs."@en1
|
| lpv:unclassifiedMetadata |
Named graphs describing this resource:
The resource appears as object in 2 triples