Brussels, 22 September 2026 - In a letter to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen (seen by BMFTV and Les Echos) French President Macron has responded to the soaring fuel prices and growing tensions over oil supplies. Among the main proposals put forward is relaxing European standards on fuel quality, increasing the share of biofuels incorporated in diesel. The letter speaks of "easing biofuel blending limits." In practice, this would mean increasing the bio component from B7 to B10. That means, immediately, 3% less fossil diesel. While vehicle manufacturer approval remains a crucial prerequisite, several OEMs already offer fully compatible models. Studies by the Association Quality Management Biodiesel (AGQM) show that the use of B10 enables many millions of diesel vehicles that are approved for B10 to make an immediate and efficient contribution to climate protection. For example, the AGQM approval list that was updated last March shows many commercial vehicles and inland waterway vessels are ready for high blends of biodiesel Xavier Noyon, Secretary General of the European Biodiesel Board (EBB) said in a statement: “EBB has consistently advocated for B10 and higher blends of FAME and HVO. We are glad to see that French President Emmanuel Macron is calling, amongst other things, for flexibility in biofuel blending limits. Fewer restriction will mean faster decarbonisation, and the European biofuel sector is ready to deliver. A key avenue in President Macron’s proposal is relaxing European standards on fuel quality, increasing the share of biofuels. In particular, there are concerns about diesel and aviation fuel. Bio-based diesel (FAME and HVO) and bioSAF can therefore play a role by excellence. We need a clear signal from the European Commission, so the whole supply chain – from producers to fuel suppliers and from OEMs to component manufacturers – can come together to increase the blending limits available at the pump across Europe.”