BLE publishes list of countries with access rights

UFOP welcomes fraud prevention measure and expects it to have a cleansing effect

Berlin, 24 February 2026. The Federal Office for Agriculture and Food (BLE) has published a list of countries that grant the BLE, as the competent national authority, access rights to carry out on-site inspections of biofuel producers. The Union for the Promotion of Oil and Protein Plants e. V. (UFOP) welcomes this as a contribution to improving the fight against fraud. At the same time, this positive list is an active sign of confidence on the part of the countries listed in a certification process that is being gradually tightened in accordance with EU law. The Union also expects this to have a cleansing effect on biofuel producers, including the issue of waste raw materials, which must be critically assessed and controlled. From UFOP's point of view, it is noteworthy that countries such as Brazil and Singapore are not listed, while Hong Kong is listed instead of China.

The publication of the country list should be seen in connection with the recent communication from the BLE to biofuel producers and certification bodies. UFOP very much welcomes the fact that the national database ‘Nabisy’ is already querying "whether on-site checks at final interfaces by a competent authority of a Member State of the European Union for the purpose of monitoring the functioning of certification bodies in accordance with Article 30(9), of Directive (EU) 2018/2001". In its communication, the BLE also makes it clear that this question will automatically be answered in the negative if the third country refuses to grant access, even if the biofuel producer would agree to an on-site inspection. UFOP also welcomes this condition, because the country in question must either grant access or the biofuel producers concerned are excluded from the German market.

The BLE's current voluntary requirement will become a legal obligation when the second law amending the GHG quota comes into force. The Bundestag will debate the draft law in its first reading this week. It is expected to be dealt with and passed quickly so that this law can come into force as soon as possible.

With this measure, Germany is sending an important signal within the EU for the prevention of fraud and thus for building trust in sustainability certification. UFOP expects that, in the best case scenario, all member states will introduce a similar regulation, which should have been regulated in EU law from the outset in view of the imminent refinement of the Union Database (UDB).

However, control requirements only make sense if this task can be performed actively and comprehensively. UFOP therefore calls on Federal Minister of Agriculture Rainer to increase the number of staff in the relevant department of the BLE  accordingly. This is also a forward-looking measure, as the demand for documented sustainability certifications is increasing in all areas, such as the material use of renewable raw materials, which is not yet as strictly regulated by law as bioenergy.

BLE list of countries for the 2nd Act Amending the GHG Quota

(Date: 19 February 2026)