Position
Subject: Open letter - E20 Ethanol Blends to Enable EU Transport Decarbonisation
Context: To meet EU decarbonisation targets, measures focusing only on new vehicle fleets will not be enough, and solutions for the existing fleet are urgently needed. On 7 November 2025, the EU standardisation body CEN has endorsed a technical specification enabling higher ethanol blends up to 20% (CEN/TS 18227). The specification and supporting technical report were published in December 2025; however, to implement this in EU countries, the Fuel Quality Directive (FQD) must be revised.
We call on the European Commission to prioritise the FQD revision in its 2026–2027 work programme. A revised FQD should increase the current ethanol volume cap from 10% to 20% and raise the oxygen mass limit from 3.7% to 8.0%.