During a meeting with agriculture ministers on 9 December, the Commissioner for the Environment Jessika Roswall unveiled the four pillars on which she intends to build a new Bioeconomy Strategy.
The aim of updating the 2012 Bioeconomy Strategy is to encourage innovation, scale production of biomaterials sustainably and exploit synergies with the circular economy. For this, the Commission wants to retain biomass in the economy as long as possible before it is used for energy production, thereby maximising the use of secondary feedstock such as food and farming waste. A set of bioeconomy sectors and products will be identified and prioritised.
The four pillars outlined by Jessika Roswall are as follows:
- Biomass as a “valuable resource”,
- An industry committed to delivering sustainable products and services,
- Land stewardship by farmers and foresters,
- Young innovators.
The Commissioner was pleased to note that many ministers had shown interest and provided positive feedback during the meeting, and she stated that she will conduct broad consultations with stakeholders. The updated Strategy is expected to be published by the end of 2025.