What is the Union database (UDB)?
The Union Database (UDB) is a database pursuant to Article 28(2) and (4) of Directive (EU) 2018/2001 (RED II). It is used for the traceability of gaseous and liquid fuels in the transport sector. The aim of the UDB is to avoid double counting and to minimise the risk of irregularities and fraud. The UDB records sustainability certificates for biofuels and the corresponding raw materials.
Avenues
Direct access to the UDB - for registered users and for testing purposes.
FAQs
We are pleased to present our Union Database (UDB) FAQs! These provide comprehensive information on topics such as how the UDB works, registration and access, initial setup, and transactions and certificates. Visit our FAQ page.
Instructions
Step-by-step help for the efficient use of the Union Database.
Where can I find training courses on the UDB?
Stay up to date with training courses offered by REDcert and the EU Commission.
Training dates of REDcert
Recording of training courses of the EU Commission
Demo videos of the UDB in German
01_Wirtschaftsbeteiligte main user - creation of a material processing in the UDB
03_Wirtschaftsbeteiligte Main User - Creating a Seller Transaction
04_Wirtschaftsbeteiligte Main User - Acceptance of a Transaction by the Buyer
05_Wirtschaftsbeteiligte Primary User - Buyer Declining a Transaction
06_Wirtschaftsbeteiligte Main User - Creating a Buyer Transaction in the Place of Origin
07_Wirtschaftsbeteiligte User - Creating Initial Inventories
08_Wirtschaftsbeteiligte User - Creation of procurement sources with/without identification number
Information from REDcert on the subject of UDB:
Info-Mail from 8th of December 2023
Info-Mail from 18th of December 2023
Info-Mail from 1st of June 2024
Info-Mail from 25th of September 2024
Info-Mail from 4th of October 2024
What is the schedule of the UDB?
The EU Commission is pursuing an ambitious timeline that includes a functional UDB by the end of 2023 that can be used to track all transactions of sustainable biomass and biofuels.
The following overview illustrates the historical timeline of the project (current dates on the part of the UDB can be found above):
|
Historical timeline of the UDB |
Supply chain |
Timeframe/Timing |
|
Start of the UDB |
Liquid |
21.11.2024(in accordance with RED III; Art. 31 a) |
|
Start of the UDB |
Gas |
in the course of Q1 2024 |
|
Start of the UDB |
Liquid |
15.01.2024* |
|
Start: Registration of the flow of goods (also online |
Gas |
02.10.2023 |
|
Start: Registration of flows of goods (internal to the system) |
Gas |
01.07.2023 |
|
Start: Registration of flows of goods |
Liquid |
03.04.2023 |
|
Start: Gas Value Chain - Initial Registration of Stocks |
Gas |
03.04.2023 |
|
Target date: Initial registration of gas value chain inventories |
Gas |
01.04.2023 |
|
Target date: Initial registration of stocks in the liquid fuel value chain |
Liquid |
31.03.2023 |
|
Start: Value chain for liquid fuels - initial registration of inventories |
Liquid |
01.03.2023 |
|
Start: Gas - Invitation of distribution system operators, transmission system operators, suppliers to UDB |
Gas |
06.02.2023 |
|
Start: Invitation VS, EO, Service Provider UDB |
All |
16.01.2023 |
|
Data harmonization with regard to the market |
All |
12.12.2022 |
|
Release/start of communication with VS/MS/Markt |
All |
21.11.2022 |
* The Union database application will be available to all successfully registered economic operators to register transactions in the liquid fuel supply chain from 15 January 2024.
- Regarding the official start date of the UDB and several requests from stakeholders, we have decided to open the application on 15 January 2024 to allow for a smoother start and better support for economic operators.
- The initial registration of stocks is possible for 1 January 2024, i.e. the stocks that are in stock/in storage by the certified economic operators from the beginning of 2024. This feature will be available in the course of 2024 for those economic operators who will be invited to the UDB in the later part of 2024 to book the transactions from 1 January 2024, provided that they are certified from that date. Economic operators should ensure that the amounts recorded can be proven to the auditor during the neutral control/audit.
- Transactions can be registered retroactively from January 1, 2024 on the basis of the first stock levels or the transactions entered into by suppliers after January 1, 2024.
Legal basis of the Union Biofuels Database (UDB):
Article 28 (2) of Directive (EU) 2018/2001, the so-called RED II, provides for the introduction of a uniform and binding database at European level, in which all sustainability certificates for biofuels in the transport sector and the corresponding raw materials are recorded. In detail, this means:
'2. The Commission shall ensure that a Union database is set up to enable the traceability of liquid and gaseous fuels for transport that may be counted against the meter referred to in Article 27(1)(b) or taken into account for the purposes of the first subparagraph of Article 29(1). Member States shall require the economic operators concerned to provide information in this database on the transactions carried out and the sustainability characteristics of those fuels, including their life-cycle greenhouse gas emissions, from the place of production to the fuel supplier placing them on the market. Member States may set up a national database linked to the Union database, ensuring that data entered are immediately transferred between databases. The information necessary to verify compliance with the requirements referred to in the first and fourth subparagraphs of Article 25(1) shall be entered by fuel suppliers in the relevant database.'
If you have any other specific questions about the UDB, you can direct them to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . We ask for your understanding that we cannot answer every question directly in view of the complexity of the topic and numerous open topics to be clarified with the UDB. However, we will try to clarify this as soon as possible in such a case.
Thank you for your understanding!