Case C‑624/22

BP France SAS

v

Ministre de l’Économie, des Finances et de la Souveraineté industrielle et numérique

(Request for a preliminary ruling from the Conseil d’État (France))

Judgment of the Court (Third Chamber) of 29 July 2024

(Reference for a preliminary ruling – Promotion of the use of energy from renewable sources – Directive 2009/28/EC – Articles 17 and 18 – Directive 2018/2001/EC – Articles 25, 29 and 30 – Sustainability and greenhouse gas emissions saving criteria – Verification of compliance with those criteria – Biofuels used for transport – Production of fuels using the co-processing procedure – Evidence of compliance with those sustainability criteria – Mass balance method – Methods for evaluating the content of hydrotreated vegetable oils (HVO) in fuels produced using that procedure – Member State’s legislation requiring a physical carbon-14 analysis – Article 34 TFEU – Free movement of goods)

1. Environment – Promotion of the use of energy from renewable sources – Directives 2009/28 and 2018/2001 – Sustainability and greenhouse gas emissions saving criteria for biofuels and bioliquids – Verification of compliance with those criteria – Mass balance monitoring systems and voluntary national or international schemes – Purpose – Regulation of the assessment of the share of energy from renewable sources contained in fuels produced using the co-processing procedure – Not included – National legislation requiring that a physical analysis be carried out in order to establish the actual biofuel content of those fuels – Whether permissible

   (European Parliament and Council Directive 2009/28, as amended by Directive 2015/1513, Arts 17 and 18; European Parliament and Council Directive 2018/2001, Arts 29 and 30)

   (see paragraphs 40-51, 55-56, operative part 1)

2. EU law – Implementation by Member States – Criteria for assessment – Domain not exhaustively harmonised by an act of secondary law – Implementation of a harmonising measure required to comply with EU law

   (Art. 34 TFEU; European Parliament and Council Directive 2009/28, as amended by Directive 2015/1513, Arts 17 and 18; European Parliament and Council Directive 2018/2001, Arts 29 and 30)

   (see paragraphs 59-60)

3. Free movement of goods – Quantitative restrictions – Measures having equivalent effect – Directives 2009/28 and 2018/2001 – Sustainability and greenhouse gas emissions saving criteria for biofuels and bioliquids – Verification of compliance with those criteria – National legislation requiring that a physical analysis be carried out in order to establish the actual biofuel content of fuels produced using the co-processing procedure – Requirement not applicable to fuels produced and released directly for consumption in the Member State concerned without being received in a tax warehousing facility – Not permissible – Justification – Protecting the environment and combating fraud – Lack – Breach of the principle of proportionality

   (Art. 34 TFEU, European Parliament and Council Directive 2009/28, as amended by Directive 2015/1513, Art. 18(4); European Parliament and Council Directive 2018/2001, Art. 30(4))

   (see paragraphs 61-75, 77, operative part 2)

See the text of the decision.