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Oxfam welcomes the fast-track ratification of the Paris climate agreement by the EU. Now, EU governments have to show their practical commitment to protect people and the planet from global warming.

The European Commission risks betraying the Paris climate agreement by suggesting that Europe is doing enough to tackle runaway climate change, says Oxfam.

If Europe were to rule out its support of biofuels by 2020, the region could lower its net imports of grain and oilseeds by up to 27 million tons, remarkably reducing its dependence on foreign goods. Global food prices could also drop significantly.

In its proposed new Renewable Energy Directive, the European Commission has given in to the pressure of the biofuel industry lobby at the expense of people and the climate. The proposal would allow EU countries to rely on food-based biofuels to meet their 2030 climate and energy targets, notwithstanding strong evidence of their harmful impact on communities and the environment.

The European Union must overhaul its current bioenergy policy, which is based on getting fuel from plants, because the industry is linked to the eviction of thousands of people from their lands, out-competing food crops, and creating more not less pollution, says Oxfam in a new report.

Today the European Parliament gave the green light to the European Markets Infrastructure Regulation (EMIR) designed to regulate shady ‘over the counter’ (OTC) derivatives. NGOs welcomed the introduction of clearing and reporting obligations for these financial products as a crucial step towards regulating vital agricultural commodity derivatives markets.

Joint Media Reaction by Oxfam, CAN Europe, APRODEV, CIDSE

A proposal by the European Parliament’s industry committee on the use of biofuels risks increasing emissions in transport, pushing up global food prices and negatively impacting people around the world who live from the land, Oxfam and green NGO Transport & Environment warn.