tonne biofuel quota be devoted to ethanol. Biodiesel producers also welcomed the news, saying they could now begin investing in new plants and capacity. In a bid to reduce carbon dioxide emissions and cut the European Union's dependence on fuel imports, the bloc last year set a target that fuels should contain two percent of biofuels by 2005, a figure rising to 5.75 percent by 2010. France has already said it would be two years behind the first target but it still hopes to meet the 2010 deadline. "This is a first step. France will launch a second one after 2007 in order to meet the objective of 5.75 percent by 2010," the ministry said. The ministry said increased biofuel output would create about 6,000 new industrial and agricultural jobs.
