The dependence of European transport on oil will remain until 2030

Despite the European Commission’s stated goal of decarbonizing transport and the various pieces of legislation, it focuses on, European transport sector will remain highly dependent on oil until 2030, reports Euractiv, whose team has questioned the executive of European Union (EU) on the best and worst-case scenarios for decarbonization of the transport sector.

“Petroleum products will represent 86-87% of European transport needs – from 94% today”, said the EC, citing a document related to the European strategy for low carbon mobility. The same document emphasizes that the transition to the use of alternative fuels and energy carriers takes time, mainly because of the gradual replacement of the car fleet.

The document adds that significant reductions in petroleum products used in transport (from 194 to 200 million tonnes of oil equivalent in 2050 relative to REF2016) and oil dependency are expected in all decarbonization scenarios.

“By 2050, petroleum products will account for about 49-51% of the EU’s transport needs”, says the document. “Reducing the use of oil in transport is of great importance in reducing the cost of importing fossil fuels and improving the security of supply”, adds it.

Ever since its first Renewable Energy Directive in 2009, the EU has been trying to come up with a solution to decarbonize the transport sector.

The Green Deal is expected to “revise” some pieces of legislation, including those on transport, which is behind nearly a quarter of Europe’s greenhouse gas emissions and is the main cause of urban air pollution.

German Economy Minister Peter Altmaier recently contacted EU Climate Commissioner Frans Timmermans to push for a moratorium on tightening carbon emissions in the automotive sector, which is expected to be revisited in 2021.

Critics suggest that by 2030, all legislative proposals have focused too much on the growing mix of renewable energy without paying attention to the 87% of fossil fuels.

The European Biodiesel Council, which promotes the use of biodiesel, has expressed its deep concern about the Commission’s lack of ambition to effectively eliminate fossil fuels in the transport sector.