The Council of the European Union on Oct. 9 adopted regulations for the ReFuelEU initiative. The new law aims to boost both the demand for and supply of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) within the European Union.  

Development of the initiative has been ongoing for more than a year. MEPs in July 2022 adopted draft rules for ReFuelEU. A political agreement on the proposal was reached by the European Parliament in April 2023. Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) on Sept. 13 approved the ReFuelEU regulations.  

With the ReFuelEU initiative now formally adopted by the Council of the European Union, the new regulations will be published in the EU’s official journal within the coming weeks and will enter into force on the twentieth day following publication. The regulations will begin to take effect on Jan. 1, 2024. 

ReFuelEU is part of the Fit for 55 package, which is the European Union’s plan to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by at least 55 percent by 2030 when compared to a 1990 baseline and to reach net-zero by 2050.

The new ReFuelEU aviation rules require EU airports and fuel suppliers to ensure that at least 2 percent of aviation fuels are “green” by 2025. The requirement ramps up to 6 percent in 2030, 20 percent in 2035, 34 percent in 2040, 42 percent in 2045, and 70 percent in 2050. The rules also require a proportion of the fuel mix to be comprised of synthetic fuels, such as e-kerosene. The requirement for synthetic fuels is set at 1.2 percent in 2030, 2 percent in 2032, 5 percent in 2035 and progressively reaches 35 percent in 2050.

The ReFuelEU rules defines SAF to include synthetic fuels, certain biofuels produced from agricultural or forestry residues, algae, bio-waste, used cooking oil or certain animal fats. Recycled jet fuels produced from waste gasses and waste plastic are also considered “green.” In addition, renewable hydrogen is an eligible fuel under the program. The rules prevent SAF produced from feed and food crop-based feedstocks, including palm and soy materials, from participating in the program. According to information released by the European Parliament, these crop-based biofuels cannot be classified as “green” under the ReFuelEU initiative because they don’t meet sustainability criteria.

In addition to setting SAF mandates, the ReFuelEU initiative also creates a new flight labeling program. Starting in 2025, there will be an EU label for the performance of flights. Airlines will be able to market their flights with a label indicating the expected carbon footprint per passenger and the expected CO2 efficiency per kilometer. The label program will help passengers compare the environmental performance of flights operated by different companies on the same route.

Additional information is available on the Council of the European Union website.