This September, the International Food and Agriculture Trade Policy Council (IPC) released a report about biofuel subsidies and international trade, Biofuel and Biomass Subsidies in the U.S., EU and Brazil: Towards a Transparent System of Notification. 

The report summarizes biofuel policies in each of the titular countries and classifies them according to the way they provide support – to biomass or biofuel production, biofuel consumption and research and development. It then looks at World Trade Organisation (WTO) rules on biofuel subsidies and the role of notifications in existing agreements and ongoing talks.

The paper concludes that, given increasing debate over the impacts of biofuels subsidies, there is increasing pressure for greater transparency about schemes that support not only biofuels but also fossil fuels, such that the costs and benefits of these policies can be thoroughly analysed. It suggests that it may be necessary to create a new initiative with a responsibility to push for clarification of how WTO rules apply to biofuel subsidies and to monitor their ongoing magnitude.

The report can be downloaded from: 
http://www.agritrade.org/documents/Biofuels_Subs_Web_Final.pdf