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1. Where renewable fuels and recycled carbon fuels are to be counted towards the targets referred to in Article 3(1), Article 15a(1), Article 22a(1), Article 23(1), Article 24(4) and Article 25(1), Member States shall require economic operators to show, by means of mandatory independent and transparent audits, in accordance with the implementing act adopted pursuant to paragraph 8 of this Article, that the sustainability and greenhouse gas emissions saving criteria laid down in Article 29(2) to (7) and (10) and Article 29a(1) and (2) for renewable fuels and recycled-carbon fuels have been fulfilled. To that end, they shall require economic operators to use a mass balance system which:

(a) allows consignments of raw material or fuels with differing sustainability and greenhouse gas emissions saving characteristics to be mixed for instance in a container, processing or logistical facility, transmission and distribution infrastructure or site;

(b) allows consignments of raw material with differing energy content to be mixed for the purposes of further processing, provided that the size of consignments is adjusted according to their energy content;

(c) requires information about the sustainability and greenhouse gas emissions saving characteristics and sizes of the consignments referred to in point (a) to remain assigned to the mixture; and (d) provides for the sum of all consignments withdrawn from the mixture to be described as having the same sustainability characteristics, in the same quantities, as the sum of all consignments added to the mixture and requires that this balance be achieved over an appropriate period of time.

The mass balance system shall ensure that each consignment is counted only once in point (a), (b) or (c) of the first subparagraph of Article 7(1) for the purposes of calculating the gross final consumption of energy from renewable sources and shall include information on whether support has been provided for the production of that consignment, and if so, on the type of support scheme.

3. Member States shall take measures to ensure that economic operators submit reliable information regarding the compliance with the sustainability and greenhouse gas emissions saving criteria laid down in Article 29(2) to (7) and (10) and Article 29a(1) and (2), and that economic operators make available to the relevant Member State, upon request, the data used to develop that information. Member States shall require economic operators to arrange for an adequate standard of independent auditing of the information submitted, and to provide evidence that this has been done. In order to comply with Article 29(3), points (a), (b), (d) and (e), Article 29(4), point (a), Article 29(5), Article 29(6), point (a), and Article 29(7), point (a), the first or second party auditing may be used up to the first gathering point of the forest biomass. The auditing shall verify that the systems used by economic operators are accurate, reliable and protected against fraud, including verification ensuring that materials are not intentionally modified or discarded so that the consignment or part thereof could become a waste or residue. The auditing shall also evaluate the frequency and methodology of sampling and the robustness of the data.

The obligations laid down in this paragraph shall apply regardless of whether renewable fuels and recycled carbon fuels are produced within or are imported into the Union. Information about the geographic origin and feedstock type of biofuels, bioliquids and biomass fuels per fuel supplier shall be made available to consumers in an up-to-date, easily accessible, and user-friendly manner on the websites of operators, suppliers or the relevant competent authorities and shall be updated on an annual basis. ◄ Member States shall submit to the Commission, in aggregated form, the information referred to in the first subparagraph of this paragraph. The Commission shall publish that information on the e-reporting platform referred to in Article 28 of Regulation (EU) 2018/1999 in summary form preserving the confidentiality of commercially sensitive information.

4. The Commission may decide that voluntary national or international schemes setting standards for the production of renewable fuels and recycled carbon fuels, provide accurate data on greenhouse gas emissions savings for the purposes of Article 29(10) and Article 29a(1) and (2), demonstrate compliance with Article 27(6) and Article 31a(5), or demonstrate that consignments of biofuels, bioliquids and biomass fuels comply with the sustainability criteria laid down in Article 29(2) to (7). When demonstrating that the criteria laid down in Article 29(6) and (7) are met, the operators may provide the required evidence directly at sourcing area level. The Commission may recognise areas for the protection of rare, threatened or endangered ecosystems or species recognised by international agreements or included in lists drawn up by intergovernmental organisations or the International Union for the Conservation of Nature for the purposes of Article 29(3), first subparagraph, point (c)(ii).

The Commission may decide that those schemes contain accurate information on measures taken for soil, water and air protection, for the restoration of degraded land, for the avoidance of excessive water consumption in areas where water is scarce, and for certification of biofuels, bioliquids and biomass fuels with low indirect land-use change-risk.

5. The Commission shall adopt decisions under paragraph 4 of this Article by means of implementing acts. Those implementing acts shall be adopted in accordance with the examination procedure referred to in Article 34(3). Such decisions shall be valid for a period of no more than five years. The Commission shall require that each voluntary scheme on which a decision has been adopted under paragraph 4 submit annually by 30 April a report to the Commission covering each of the points set out in Annex XI to Regulation (EU) 2018/1999. ◄ The report shall cover the preceding calendar year. The requirement to submit a report shall apply only to voluntary schemes that have operated for at least 12 months.

The Commission shall make the reports drawn up by the voluntary schemes available, in an aggregated form or in full if appropriate, on the e-reporting platform referred to in Article 28 of Regulation (EU) 2018/1999.

6. Member States may set up national schemes where compliance with the sustainability and greenhouse gas emissions saving criteria laid down in Article 29(2) to (7) and (10) and Article 29a(1) and (2), in accordance with the methodology developed under Article 29a(3), is verified throughout the entire chain of custody involving competent authorities. Those schemes may also be used to verify the accuracy and completeness of the information included by economic operators in the Union database, to demonstrate compliance with Article 27(6) and for the certification of biofuels, bioliquids and biomass fuels with low indirect land-use change-risk.

A Member State may notify such a national scheme to the Commission. The Commission shall give priority to the assessment of such a scheme in order to facilitate mutual bilateral and multilateral recognition of those schemes. The Commission may decide, by means of implementing acts, whether such a notified national scheme complies with the conditions laid down in this Directive. Those implementing acts shall be adopted in accordance with the examination procedure referred to in Article 34(3). Where the Commission decides that the national scheme complies with conditions laid down in this Directive, other schemes recognised by the Commission in accordance with this Article shall not refuse mutual recognition with that Member State’s national scheme as regards verification of compliance with the criteria for which it has been recognised by the Commission.

For installations producing electricity, heating and cooling with a total rated thermal input between 7,5 and 20 MW, Member States may establish simplified national verification schemes to ensure the fulfilment of the sustainability and greenhouse gas emissions saving criteria set out in Article 29(2) to (7) and (10). For the same installations, the implementing acts provided for in paragraph 8 of this Article shall set out the uniform conditions for simplified voluntary verification schemes to ensure the fulfilment of the sustainability and greenhouse gas emissions saving criteria set out in Article 29(2) to (7) and (10).

7. The Commission shall adopt decisions under paragraph 4 of this Article only if the scheme in question meets adequate standards of reliability, transparency and independent auditing and provides adequate assurances that no materials have been intentionally modified or discarded so that the consignment or part thereof would fall under Annex IX. In the case of schemes to measure greenhouse gas emissions savings, such schemes shall also comply with the methodological requirements set out in Annex V or VI. Lists of areas of high biodiversity value as referred to in point (c)(ii) of the first subparagraph of Article 29(3) shall meet adequate standards of objectivity and coherence with internationally recognised standards and provide for appropriate appeal procedures. The voluntary schemes referred to in paragraph 4 shall, at least annually, publish a list of their certification bodies used for independent auditing, indicating for each certification body by which entity or national public authority it was recognised and which entity or national public authority is monitoring it.