On August 17, 2026, in Berlin, the eFuel Alliance published a position paper titled "eFuels For A Secure And Resilient European Energy Supply." In it, the association classifies renewable, electricity-based fuels (eFuels) as a security-relevant factor for Europe's supply security and defense capability. As a background, the alliance points to the EU's geopolitical vulnerability due to fossil import dependencies, which, according to their own statements, have been demonstrated by the war in Ukraine since 2022 and the conflict over Iran in 2026.
According to the association, imported fossil fuels covered around 58 percent of the EU's energy consumption in 2023, while renewable energies accounted for only about 23 percent of final energy consumption. Almost all vehicles of civil and disaster protection as well as the military rely on liquid fuels. eFuels can be used as a drop-in solution without technical adjustments in existing vehicles, ships, and aircraft and are chemically compatible with NATO standard fuels.
Three central political demands
The position paper formulates three demands on European politics.
First, the production rules for renewable fuels of non-biological origin (RFNBOs) should become practical. The eFuel Alliance includes in this a postponement of the additionality criteria until 2035, a preservation of existing projects, and an expansion of permissible CO₂ sources to include industrial point sources.
Second, there needs to be clear market demand through ambitious, sector-specific eFuel sub-quotas within the framework of the upcoming revision of the Renewable Energy Directive (RED IV).
Third, investments in eFuel production capacities should be creditable towards the NATO target of 5 percent of gross domestic product. This would reduce import dependency and strengthen the industrial base. Additionally, the association proposes bilateral auctions based on the H2Global model, equipped with more funds and a broader product range, such as for eDiesel.
Association calls for integration of civil and military needs
"The debate about eFuels must no longer be conducted solely from a climate and transport policy perspective. Supply security and resilience are becoming central location factors. Europe needs a diversified energy system, and eFuels are an indispensable part of it," explains Ralf Diemer, Managing Director of the eFuel Alliance.
Diemer also emphasizes that purely military demand is not sufficient to establish production. "Military demand alone does not support a production facility. Without civil demand, no eFuel plant is worthwhile. Therefore, we need a regulatory framework that combines civil and security policy needs," says Diemer.
NATO program as a reference point
As a reference point for the growing security policy significance of fuel infrastructure, the association cites the Fuel Supply Chain Capability Programme of NATO. According to the eFuel Alliance, the alliance approved this on July 22, 2026, with around 27 billion euros for storage and distribution infrastructure. Against this background, the eFuel Alliance calls on European legislators to use the revision of the Renewable Energy Directive and the CO₂ fleet regulation promptly for a technology-open, resilience-oriented alignment.
