Bioenergy plays an important role in the climate neutrality targets of
the EU. However, the status of bioenergy implementation varies greatly across
the EU. The aim of this paper is to assess the role of bioenergy in different
EU countries using EU experts’ opinions of bioenergy implementation in their
own country. The paper identifies leading and lagging countries in biomass
development by focusing on the current share of bioenergy in the total energy supply. The study shows differences in bioenergy
development between Southern and Western EU countries with Northern and
Eastern EU countries. The anti-bioenergy movement and continuing political
support for the fossil fuel industry are important barriers inhibiting biomass
development in many EU countries, especially in Southern Europe and Western
Europe. Our analysis finds that the EU needs more factual bioenergy information
and improved promotion of bioenergy throughout society, especially in southern
and western parts of the EU. Bioenergy development in the EU can be looked at
optimistically, especially in Northern and Eastern Europe. The experience of
societal acceptance of bioenergy in countries such as Finland and Sweden is
applicable to countries that have thus far seen less progress in bioenergy
implementation such as Poland and the Netherlands.
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