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European Confederation of Fuel Distributors

ECFD

ECFD représente les intérêts des 10.000 entreprises européennes distributrices des produits pétroliers aux consommateurs: particuliers, immeubles, collectivités locales, bâtiments administratifs, agriculture, entreprises, transporteurs, stations services, ...

Lobbying Activity

Response to Electrification Action Plan

9 Oct 2025

The European Confederation of Fuel Distributors supports the European Commissions objective to achieve climate neutrality in 2050. Shaping the future of European heating in a technologically neutral way is crucial for delivering on this ambition. The European Heating and Cooling Strategy should reflect that across Europe 20 million households in rural and off-grid communities rely on liquid fuels for heating their homes. They are not connected to the gas network and transitioning to electric or district heating would involve significant challenges and financial costs. Renewable liquid fuels e.g. biofuels, such as HVO and FAME with a CO2 emissions reduction of up to 90% can drive the defossilisation of buildings, while keeping heating affordable for lower-income households and contributing to the resilience and preparedness of local communities across Europe. Technology neutrality and consumer choice should be the guiding principles underpinning non-legislative EU action on heating. The necessary transition towards renewable liquid fuels will be accelerated when consumers can freely choose the heating technology or combination of technologies that is the right fit for their homes. Modern hybrid heating systems a heat pump and a liquid fuel condensing boiler ensure greater efficiency and resilience, while adding solar panels to a boiler running on renewable liquid fuels may significantly upgrade a buildings energy performance. The Commission should therefore facilitate the uptake of all renewable technologies, including renewable liquid fuels, in the implementation of the EUs energy and climate policy framework affecting heating, such as the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD), the Renewable Energy Directive (RED), the Energy Taxation Directive (ETD) and national energy and climate plans (NECPs). It is important in this regard that no unnecessary burdens are created at national, regional, or local levels. Against this background, we call upon the EU Institutions to take into account the following strategic advantages that renewable liquid fuels bring into the European energy mix: 1. Defossilisation The heating oil sector can enable the progressive greening of Europes energy supply through increased blending with biofuels or synthetic fuels, such as e-fuels. Existing fuel boilers can be easily adapted to heat homes through, for example, HVO- or FAME-based blends. In Germany, new heating oil systems and condensing boilers are "green fuels ready" and are labelled accordingly. Using existing infrastructure transportation and distribution, storage, boilers would bring about faster emissions reductions than building new energy infrastructure. 2. Rural, off-grid communities Liquid fuels remain essential for rural, off-grid communities, providing an affordable, reliable energy source. 20 million European households rely on liquid fuels for heating their homes. In rural areas and mountainous regions liquid fuel technology is often the best suited technology available. Electrification may be technologically difficult in these areas and therefore too costly an investment for power grid companies to undertake. 3. Resilience and Preparedness The liquid fuels sector contributes towards European resilience and civic protection through its decentralised nature. Amid a worsening global geopolitical outlook across Europe, member states are facing emerging hybrid threats to their infrastructure, including energy and power-grid infrastructure. Liquid fuels are stored across various parts of the supply chain from traders to various small- and medium-sized fuel distributors and in storage tanks in citizens homes: o Better preparedness in case of disruptions to energy infrastructure o Allows for stockpiling of fuel supplies by traders, distributors, and consumers Liquid fuels are the proven backbone for e.g. emergency power generators applied in important facilities, such as hospitals
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Response to European Affordable Housing Plan

4 Jun 2025

Joint Heating Commission Response to the European Commissions Call for Evidence: European Affordable Housing Plan Introduction The Joint Heating Commission (JHC), which includes ECFD, Eurofuel, FuelsEurope, and UPEI, welcomes the European Commissions initiative to create the European Affordable Housing Plan. We represent the liquid heating fuel supply chain, including technology providers, fuel producers, and energy distributors operating in urban and rural heating markets across Europe. We fully support the objectives of this Plan, which aims to guarantee that all citizens, particularly vulnerable groups and middle-income households, have access to affordable, sustainable, and decent housing. This goal is closely related to providing access to clean, efficient, and cost-effective heating solutions, essential for residential comfort and energy efficiency. General Observations We commend the Commission for recognising the link between energy and climate policies with housing affordability, especially regarding heating. In this context, we would like to highlight the following points: 1. Inclusive and affordable heating decarbonisation a. Renovating the EUs building stock is essential, but the costs associated with these renovations, especially for upgrading heating systems, can impose a significant financial burden on households, particularly those in the most vulnerable segments of society. b. A variety of solutions is necessary, including the use of renewable liquid fuels and hybrid heating systems, which can provide cost-effective, low-carbon options for existing homes without the need for extensive renovations. 2. Off-Grid and rural housing needs a. 20 million households live in rural and off-grid homes not connected to the gas network, relying on liquid fuels. Transitioning to electric or district heating poses significant challenges and costs. b. The Affordable Housing Plan should prioritise technology neutrality and energy diversity, supporting renewable liquid fuels like HVO and FAME. 3. Fuel flexibility and renovation readiness a. Efficient boilers and hybrid systems can be made renewable-ready, allowing for a gradual transition to renewable fuels. b. EU policies should facilitate this transition through supportive funding schemes and renovation requirements. Recommendations We urge the European Commission to ensure the following elements are reflected in the Affordable Housing Plan: 1. Recognition of renewable liquid fuels as a viable decarbonisation option, especially for the existing housing stock and households not connected to gas or district heating networks. 2. Funding and incentives that support technology-inclusive heating system upgrades, considering life-cycle emissions, infrastructure readiness, and the actual cost borne by households. 3. Policy coherence across EU initiativesensuring the Affordable Housing Plan, the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD), the Renewable Energy Directive (RED), the Energy Taxation Directive (ETD), and national energy and climate plans (NECPs) work together in enabling accessible heating transitions and do not create unnecessary burdens. 4. Data and monitoring frameworks that include heating fuel choice, system readiness for renewable fuels, and consumer cost impacts. Conclusion The Joint Heating Commission is prepared to support the development of the European Affordable Housing Plan by offering evidence, technical input, and examples of best practices related to affordable and sustainable heating. It is crucial to ensure that heating decarbonization policies benefit all citizens across all regions, thereby achieving both social equity and the EU's energy and climate objectives. We welcome ongoing engagement with the Commission and would be pleased to participate in the outlined consultation activities.
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Meeting with Peter Liese (Member of the European Parliament, Rapporteur) and European Environmental Bureau and

14 Oct 2022 · ETS

Response to Revision of the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive 2010/31/EU

22 Mar 2021

Liquid fuels, such as heating oil, provide numerous benefits to consumers and to the wider energy system: they are easy to store and transport, have a high energy density, which means they are very efficient, and an excellent supply infrastructure. Thanks to the lower capital investment and running costs, heating oil systems are part of the solution against energy poverty. 20 million households, often located in off-gas grid areas in Europe, use these fuels. Liquid fuels include the new generation of renewable and/or low-carbon liquid products such as sustainable biofuels and synthetic fuels. Heating with liquid fuels can contribute to the success of EU’s vision through a three-step approach: maximising boiler efficiency; hybrid heating systems; introducing CO2 neutral liquid fuels. These drop-in fuels can be used in both traditional and modern condensing boilers. The technology to produce renewable liquid fuels is already available: HVO (Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil, BtL (biomass-to-liquid), and e-fuels. Our sector can contribute to increasing the renovation rate in Europe: a big part of liquid heating fuels are used by off-grid located rural houses (24% as noted by the European Union Building Stock Observatory). Our approach proposes to switch to a condensing boiler, with a hybrid system, lowering significantly the consumption of liquid fuel, while avoiding major renovation work. At a later stage, incorporating low-carbon liquid fuels progressively will ensure a smooth transition for these households. We believe that the broad range of heating technologies available, or soon-to-become available should be acknowledged. Consumers should be fully empowered by having access to all relevant information, they should be able to decide between the widest range of options possible, adopting a technology-open approach. We therefore strongly encourage EC to carefully assess the following elements: 1) The impact of banning existing technologies that will support the deployment of carbon-neutral liquid fuels in the near future, and in particular in relation to alleviating energy poverty; 2) The contribution of carbon-neutral liquid fuels to the EU decarbonization objectives, in addition to other solutions; We consider that a phased approach to the likely introduction of mandatory minimum energy performance standards for different types of buildings will be critical to ensure social acceptance. We support different options for the type, scope, timeline and phasing in of such standards and the level of flexibility for Member States in order to have a smooth and inclusive transition towards EU energy efficient building stock. We support future initiatives that will facilitate regular upgrades of obsolete and/or inefficient heating systems. Given the high costs of buildings refurbishment, such upgrades often constitute the first and sometimes only affordable step towards increased energy efficiency for EU consumers. This stands particularly true for vulnerable households. When assessing EPBD, we recommend having a thorough analysis of: 1) Cost repartition and an overview of which parties will be paying for this transition, who will carry the financial burden and how this will impact vulnerable consumers and social acceptance? 2) What the impact would be on phased introduction of mandatory minimum energy performance standards from 2026 onwards and how this will fit with each Member State local circumstances. 3) If such mandatory minimum requirements are introduced before 2026, would those lead to a compliant increase in the use of renewables or a reduction in the energy performance of buildings? 4) The positive impact of other legislative proposals included in the “Fit for 55” package, such as the review of the Energy Taxation Directive and the RED II that should unlock the deployment of renewable and carbon neutral liquid fuels, including in the heating sector.
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Response to Revision of the CO2 emission standards for cars and vans

26 Nov 2020

The European Confederation of Fuel Distributors (ECFD) shares the Commission’s assessment that road transport will need to play a key role in achieving the EU’s climate targets. Therefore, ECFD welcomes the Commission’s plan to amend the CO2 emission standards for cars and vans since it provides a timely opportunity to seize the enormous potential of innovative climate-friendly fuels. In light of the plans to further increase the EU’s climate target for 2030, it is even more important to promote a diversity of climate-protection solutions and allow a broad range of compliance options to fulfil the CO2 emission standards. Therefore, ECFD strongly welcomes that in its impact assessment, the Commission will explore the appropriateness of a new mechanism to take into account the potential contribution of the use of synthetic and advanced alternative fuels. ECFD believes that such a mechanism can play a crucial role in the market ramp-up of innovative climate-friendly fuels which will contribute significantly to defossilising the EU’s road transport sector. A more detailed argumentation is provided in the paper attached.
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Response to Strategy for smart sector integration

8 Jun 2020

The European Confederation of Fuel Distributors (ECFD) received with great interest the European Commission’s roadmap on its future initiative on An EU Smart Sector Integration Strategy. Representing both distributors of liquid fuels for heating purposes and independent petrol station owners, our members are well aware that certain sectors, such as transport and buildings, still have untapped decarbonisation potential. We are therefore in a good position to contribute positively to the EU’s efforts in that regard. ECFD thus supports the Commission’s intention to foster greater use of renewable and decarbonised gases and fuels. We noticed the current focus on hydrogen, which indeed seems like a promising option. However, we would like to highlight that other innovative and versatile options exist. Carbon-neutral synthetic fuels (or e-fuels) are indeed well positioned to gradually replace fossil fuels going forward. Moreover, these fuels will not require further investments in new heating systems as they can be utilised in existing oil boilers. They will benefit not only the heating (and subsequently buildings) and transport sectors but will also be used across all transport modes. Biomass-to-liquid, hydro-treating of vegetable oils and power-to-liquid are all among the future solutions. To make this a reality, the EU has to put in place a stable and enabling policy framework, facilitating at first the necessary investments, and then their deployment and market access at a competitive price. Setting the right framework in place to make e-fuels deliver will require the EU to coordinate adequately its ambitions among several forthcoming initiatives: the Strategy for an EU Smart Sector Integration, the EU Renovation Wave, the revised Energy Taxation and the Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Directives. We therefore strongly encourage the European Commission to carefully assess in its preparatory work the following elements: • The contribution of carbon-neutral liquid fuels to the EU decarbonization objectives, in addition to other solution; • The combined effects of the upcoming Strategy with other energy-related EU policies under development.
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Response to Commission Communication – "Renovation wave" initiative for the building sector

8 Jun 2020

The European Confederation of Fuel Distributors (ECFD) welcomes the European Commission’s upcoming Renovation Wave initiative. We are convinced it will set the right pathway for EU citizens to achieve higher levels of energy efficiency in their homes, while contributing to the EU’s economic recovery. With heating and cooling accounting for half of the EU’ energy consumption , the sector will be an essential enabler to make this strategy successful. As providers of liquid fuels for heating purposes, our members cannot stress enough the benefits of well-performing and efficient heating systems in terms of energy consumption, energy efficiency and CO2 emissions. We therefore support future initiatives that will facilitate regular upgrades of obsolete and/or inefficient heating systems. Given the high costs of buildings refurbishment, such upgrades often constitute at the time being the first and sometimes only affordable step towards increased energy efficiency for EU consumers. This stands particularly true in the case of vulnerable households. Moreover, replacement of old boilers with state-of-the-art and/or hybrid ones do make a considerable difference on European consumers’ energy bill thanks to the reduced energy consumption. Besides, upgraded boilers are suited to future decarbonized options such as carbon-neutral liquid fuels, meaning consumers will be able to transition to them without further investments. We therefore strongly warn against banning them. Unlocking fiscal and policy incentives, together with private investments will allow the necessary upgrades to happen. The gains will go beyond decarbonisation, contributing to put energy poverty at bay. Additionally, we consider that the European Commission should acknowledge in its future proposals the broad range of heating technologies available, or soon-to-be available. Although we fully agree in empowering consumers by ensuring access to all relevant information, we also believe that they should be able to decide between the widest range of options possible, adopting a technology-neutral approach. This translates into facilitating investments in tomorrow’s innovative solutions such as carbon-neutral liquid fuels, which will replace fossil fuels in oil heating systems going forward. Alternative processes that are biomass-to-liquid, hydro-treating of vegetable oils and power-to-liquid are undeniably part of the toolbox to decarbonize the heating sector. Forthcoming EU initiatives (going beyond the Renovation Wave Strategy) should recognize them as such and ensure their market access. We therefore strongly encourage the European Commission to carefully assess in its preparatory work the following elements: • The impact of banning existing technologies that will support the deployment of carbon-neutral liquid fuels in the near future, and in particular in relation to alleviating energy poverty; • The contribution of carbon-neutral liquid fuels to the EU decarbonization objectives, in addition to other solution; • The combined effects of the upcoming Renovation Wave with other energy-related EU policies under development, so as to maximize their positive impact.
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