An assessment of the policy options for driving sustainable aviation fuels in the European Union

Despite years of sustained interest in sustainable aviation fuels (SAFs), the industry has been slow to expand in the face of strong economic barriers to deployment. The European Commission’s 2020 ReFuelEU Aviation Initiative aims to boost the production and supply of SAFs, and it is critical that policies guide investment and development toward technologies that are capable of delivering long-term decarbonization. This briefing paper explores the policy options available to increase SAF deployment in the EU and discusses their benefits and drawbacks.