EU extends retrospective surveillance of fuel-ethanol imports to 2029

Imports of renewable ethanol for fuel into the Union stay under retrospective Union surveillance for another three years.Europa From 16 September 2026 until 15 September 2029, each Member State transmits data on covered imports to the Commission shortly after importation takes placeEuropa, producing rapid trade statistics ahead of the official import figures. The measure continues without interruption the surveillance set up by Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/1777Europa, which expires in September 2026Europa, and it continues the TARIC-based classification approach of that regimeEuropa, with the Annex listing the covered codes and extensions.

The product scope covers ethyl alcohol produced from agricultural products listed in Annex I to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, denatured or undenaturedEuropa, excluding products with a water content of more than 0,3 % (m/m) measured according to standard EN 15376Europa. It includes such alcohol contained in blends with gasoline with an ethyl alcohol content of more than 10 % (v/v) intended for fuel usesEuropa, and such alcohol contained in ethyl tert-butyl ether (ETBE)Europa. Only renewable ethanol for fuel applications is coveredEuropa: synthetic ethanol and renewable ethanol destined for industrial or beverage use fall outside the surveillanceEuropa. The Annex lists the covered CN codes with TARIC extensions across headings 2207, 2710, 2909, 3814, 3820 and 3824Europa. Origin is determined under Article 60 of Regulation (EU) No 952/2013 laying down the Union Customs CodeEuropa.

The extension rests on renewed import growth. Import volumes of bioethanol for fuel from all origins rose from 621 954 tonnes in 2023 to 967 354 tonnes in 2025, an increase of 55 %. The United States is by far the largest exporter with 44 % of total bioethanol imports in 2025, followed by Canada, Ukraine and the United Kingdom; United States exports to the Union grew from 114 000 tonnes in 2023 to 423 000 tonnes in 2025, while Brazil's grew from 25 000 to 46 000 tonnes. Over the same period the average import price fell from 1 014 EUR/tonne to 816 EUR/tonne, a decrease of 19 %, with the United States import price falling from 932 EUR/tonne to 752 EUR/tonne between 2024 and 2025 and remaining around 16 % below the Union sales price.

That pricing pressure coincided with deteriorating indicators for Union producers: Union sales prices fell 21 % between 2023 and 2025, Union sales value fell 18 %, profitability fell 22 %, capacity utilisation fell 1 %, and the market share of Union producers declined from 86 % in 2023 to 81 % in 2025, even as Union consumption grew. Major exporting countries also hold large spare capacities that could swiftly be directed at the Union market: the United States alone has around 12,5 million tonnes of spare capacity against Union consumption of around 5 million tonnes in 2025, and Brazil around 16 million tonnes, with combined excess capacity of 28,3 million tonnes against Union consumption of around 4,9 million tonnes.

For importers and customs brokers the surveillance itself imposes no duty, quota or prior authorisationEuropa; specific TARIC codes were created so monitoring stays limited to the relevant product types, and Member States report the resulting import data to the CommissionEuropa. The data give the Commission an early view of further changes in trade flows and their possible impact, which matters because rapid trade data from the surveillance is necessary to deal with the vulnerability of the Union bioethanol market and to detect sudden changes on the world market. The legal basis is one closing sentence: the measure is adopted under Article 10 of Regulation (EU) 2015/478 and Article 7 of Regulation (EU) 2015/755EuropaEuropa.