ALFA Unveils Key Policy Recommendations to Accelerate Europe’s Biogas Transition
Brussels, October 2025 – The ALFA project has released a new set of policy insights and recommendations to drive the sustainable growth of biogas and biomethane across Europe. Developed through collaborative policy co-creation, expert roundtables, and cross-sector collaboration, these recommendations aim to tackle existing barriers in regulation, finance, and public acceptance.
Tackling Bottlenecks in Biogas Policy
ALFA’s policy work identified several common challenges slowing down the sector’s progress:
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Slow and inconsistent permitting processes remain a major hurdle, with digestate regulation often unclear or incomplete in several EU countries such as Slovakia, Spain, and Greece.
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Uneven financial incentives limit investment, as most national schemes still focus primarily on electricity rather than biogas, biomethane, or digestate applications.
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Fragmented regional policies create disparities across Europe, while countries with centralised governance—like Denmark—show greater success through coordination and stable support frameworks.
A Call for Integrated, Sustainable Policy Design
The project stresses that cross-sector collaboration is crucial for future bioenergy policy, linking the energy, agriculture, climate, and environment domains (ENER–AGRI–CLIMA–ENV).
Thus, policies should not only deliver environmental benefits but also ensure social sustainability by engaging local communities and supporting both large- and small-scale operators. “Social acceptance should come before ambition,” the team highlights—underscoring the importance of trust, transparency, and locally tailored engagement.
Six Policy Priorities for a Stronger Biogas Sector
ALFA’s Policy Brief sets out six actionable recommendations to guide EU and national decision-makers:
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Streamline and simplify permitting procedures
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Provide tailored financial support for small-scale biogas projects
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Encourage cooperative feedstock models and logistics partnerships
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Clarify and standardise rules for digestate and CO₂ use
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Raise public awareness and enhance social acceptance
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Ensure grid access and infrastructure support for biogas and biomethane
From Insights to Action
In addition to the Policy Brief, ALFA has produced a Replication Guide—a practical roadmap for applying the project’s integrated model in new regions and contexts. Together, these resources aim to help policymakers, researchers, and industry stakeholders translate knowledge into concrete action and accelerate Europe’s journey toward a circular, sustainable bioeconomy.
📘 Read the Policy Briefs here
