Draft Council conclusions highlight the importance of bioeconomy in addressing challenges related to environment, employment, and food security
The Council of the European Union has released the Presidency's first draft of Council conclusions on bioeconomy, with a particular focus on rural areas. The document highlights the important role that the bioeconomy can play in addressing challenges related to the environment, employment, and food security, while also contributing to the European Union's drive for a green transition and increased resilience.
The draft document references the European Green Deal, Farm to Fork, Forest and Biodiversity Strategies, and the Fit-for-55 goals, all of which are aimed at promoting sustainability and reducing the environmental impact of economic activities. The document also cites the Commission's progress report on the implementation of the EU Bioeconomy Strategy and the high-level conference 'The Bioeconomy - Enabling the European Green Deal in Challenging Times' held in Brussels in October 2022.
One of the key themes of the draft is the potential of the bioeconomy for creating jobs and growth in rural areas. The document stresses the importance of sustainable and circular bioeconomy solutions in rural areas and the need to ensure enhanced and diversified incomes for primary producers and other rural actors. It also acknowledges the importance of bioeconomy for bringing innovation to rural areas and for valorising locally and regionally available resources through the development of new sustainable and socially fair value-added networks.
The importance of a holistic and cross-cutting approach to the bioeconomy is emphasised, highlighting its potential to balance all three dimensions of sustainability - environmental, social, and economic. The bioeconomy is seen as interacting with the circular economy through renewable production and resource efficient use of bio-based side streams from agriculture, food production, forestry, fishery, aquaculture, and water, and from organic waste streams.
There is also an acknowledgement of the potential of the bioeconomy to contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly in the areas of climate and the environment, and in achieving the targets set out in the European Green Deal. The bioeconomy is seen as a key enabler of the green and just transition towards a fair and prosperous society with a modern and competitive economy.
Finally, the draft calls on Member States and their regions to further deploy a sustainable and circular bioeconomy in a holistic and coordinated way, to ensure coherent and effective policies that support the development of the bioeconomy across the whole value chain, and to present an updated EU Bioeconomy Strategy and Action Plan on the basis of these Council Conclusions. The importance of innovation, research, and investment are stressed as key enablers of the transition towards a sustainable circular EU bioeconomy.