<article><p class="lead">Industry association Bioenergy Europe today said the European Court of Justice's (ECJ) dismissal of a 2019 case filed against forest biomass has cleared doubts over the future of biomass as the EU's largest renewable energy source.</p><p>The sustainability framework under the 2018 renewables directive is once again acknowledged as a solid approach, Bioenergy Europe said.</p><p>The ECJ dismissed as inadmissible a case brought in March 2019 by environmental and wildlife campaigners in Estonia, France, Ireland, Romania, Slovakia and the US. The campaigners had requested that the ECJ declare void those provisions of the 2018 renewables directive that allow forest biomass energy to count towards the EU's 2030 renewable goal as well as be eligible for financial support.</p><p>The campaigners argued that the 2018 directive violated the EU treaty because it failed to "preserve, protect or improve" the quality of the environment, protect human health or use natural resources prudently. The 2018 directive, the applicants alleged, ignored available scientific data on the climate change impacts of burning forest biomass.</p><p>The ECJ dismissed the case on 6 May on the basis that the campaigners did not demonstrate that the contested 2018 renewables directive is of "individual concern" to them. But the ECJ did leave the door open to direct action at national level and a possible ECJ preliminary ruling against the directive's implementing measures.</p><p>The 2018 renewables <a href="https://direct.argusmedia.com/newsandanalysis/article/1698808">directive</a> allows EU member states to adopt additional national sustainability and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions-saving criteria for biomass as well as setting a mandatory EU-wide target share for renewables in the energy mix of 32pc, subject to a review in 2023.</p><p class="bylines">By Dafydd ab Iago</p></article>
