Position Paper — EU Bioeconomy Strategy
On 27 November 2025, the European Commission released the New Strategic Framework for a Competitive and Sustainable EU Bioeconomy. With a value of up to €2.7 trillion in 2023 and employing 17.1 million people (around 8% of EU jobs), the bioeconomy already contributes significantly to job creation and economic growth in Europe. The Council Conclusions on the Framework approved in March 2026 welcome the vision for a competitive and sustainable bioeconomy by 2040, strengthening the EU commitment to support innovation and investment in the bio-based sectors.
Realising its full potential, however, requires commitment and collaboration between industry, research, and policy actors across Europe. Based on our experiences in HEU projects, we make the following key recommendations to ensure that the bioeconomy drives real and lasting innovation impact.
- Strengthen governance and close regional gaps: National bioeconomy hubs, particularly in Central and Eastern Europe, where strategies are less developed, must receive permanent funding to sustain stakeholder engagement, policy co-creation, and knowledge transfer.
- Establish targets to unlock investments at scale: Clear and quantified targets for feedstock production and end-use uptake provide investment certainty and reduce market and coordination risks. By setting binding objectives, the EU can accelerate the transition from pilot projects to large-scale deployment.
- Secure sustainable and circular biomass supply: Policy must prioritise secondary biomass streams over primary feedstocks. Binding mandates for bio-based materials should reflect this cascade principle, while support for processing infrastructure and cross-border market development must be tailored to value-chain maturity.
- Build lead markets through demand-side instruments: Biobased markets will not scale without intervention. The EU should introduce mandatory bio-based content requirements where supply is sufficient, elevate Green Public Procurement from voluntary guidance to a strategic market-making tool, and improve consumer trust through clear labelling and certification.
- Invest in knowledge, skills, and partnerships: the bioeconomy transition demands a workforce equipped with technical, entrepreneurial, and systems-thinking competencies. Regional demonstration hubs, digital knowledge platforms, and structured cross-regional and international collaboration are proven vehicles for replicating innovation at scale.
Read the full publication HERE.
