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The Renewable Fuels Regulators Club (or REFUREC) is a network of governmental institutions that offers a pan-European platform for discussion, information exchange and tackling cross-border issues relating to the biofuels market in the European Union and beyond.
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REFUREC was initiated in 2009 by the Renewable Fuels Agency, a UK Government non-departmental public body, created by the Department for Transport to implement the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation or RTFO.
Function
The Renewable Fuels Regulators Club was established to help address consistent implementation and regulation of the biofuels market. By facilitating and fostering stronger working relations between counterparts working in the field throughout Europe, REFUREC aims to minimise the regulatory burden of the new rules, and to maximise the overall effectiveness of the Renewables Directive.
Structure
REFUREC meets on a quarterly basis to share knowledge, ideas and strategies on how best to implement workable interpretations of the Renewables Directive across respective borders. The member states of the EU and the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) have evolved different methods of regulating biofuel consumption. The different starting points, combined with the intrinsic subtleties and complexities of the legislation are what lead REFUREC to believe that this kind of close co-operation is key to successful implementation of the Renewables Directive.
The administrative part is provided by an informal, rotating secretariat. Since April 2011, the Spanish Comisión Nacional de Energía (CNE) leads on the secretariat work.
Meetings
The inaugural meeting was held on 4 February 2010 in London, and was attended by representatives from the UK, Denmark, France, Germany, Hungary, the Netherlands, Portugal, the Republic of Ireland, the Slovak Republic, Spain, Sweden, and the European Commission. To date, further events have been held in Brussels, Bonn, Madrid, The Hague, Copenhagen and Lisbon.
Membership
Membership has grown to include representatives of the vast majority of those Member States tied to the Renewables Directive. To date, representatives from 20 EU member states participate in REFUREC.