The review of Annex IX under the recast Renewable Energy Directive has opened, reopening the list of feedstocks eligible for advanced and other biofuel pathways. Intermediate and sequential crops are the focus, with the Commission examining whether current criteria adequately guard against indirect land-use effects and feedstock fraud.
For obligated parties the stakes are concrete. Annex IX classification determines whether a fuel counts toward the advanced sub-target and at what multiplier, so a tightened definition can strand investment in pathways that no longer qualify. Member-state transposition variance compounds the uncertainty, since national systems already differ in how they verify and cap particular feedstocks.
Stakeholder submissions during the review will shape both the amended annex and the audit expectations that follow. Producers are documenting feedstock provenance and chain-of-custody now, anticipating that verification thresholds rather than headline eligibility will be the binding constraint.