France seeks biofuels compromise

European Union officials are today (17 July) continuing their search for agreement on the divisions that have emerged over biofuels, driven by the doubts that recent scientific evidence has cast on their potential to generate genuine greenhouse gas savings. France is trying to break the impasse over the EU's controversial biofuels policy in a meeting of deputy permanent ambassadors (Coreper 1) that began yesterday. A common position must be reached before the end of the year if the EU is to agree its package of laws to cut greenhouse gas emissions.