Towards a sustainable future - What is the potential of the EU’s bioeconomy?

Thursday, 30 November 2023 | 12:30 - 13:45 CET

Achieving the EU’s ambitions for a more sustainable, resilient and competitive economy requires actions across many sectors. Europe’s bioeconomy, which converts renewable resources from agriculture, forests, and seas - including residues and waste - into food, feed, materials, and energy, contributes to this effort.

According to the European Commission, a sustainable bioeconomy is necessary to build a carbon neutral future in line with the climate objectives set out in the Paris Agreement. Bioenergy, currently the EU’s largest renewable energy source, remains a key component of the energy mix in 2023 and can contribute to meeting the EU renewable energy targets of at least 32% by 2030.

The 2018 update of the Commission’s Bioeconomy Strategy aims to accelerate the deployment of a sustainable European bioeconomy to maximise its contribution towards the 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), as well as the Paris Agreement.

Join this Euractiv Hybrid Conference to discuss the future of the EU’s bioeconomy. Questions to be addressed include:

What are the key policy challenges related to the bioeconomy and the sector’s new policy “manifesto”?
What have been the EU’s updated Bioeconomy Strategy successes so far, and what can be improved?
How can the EU bioeconomy help achieve related goals for climate-change mitigation, energy security, innovation and strategic autonomy?

Panellists:

Peter Wehrheim, Head of Unit, Bioeconomy & Food Systems, DG RTD, European Commission
Barna Kovács, Secretary General, BIOEAST
prof.dr. JHH (Justus) Wesseler, Researcher, Wageningen University
Juliette Jacques, Deputy Managing Director, Starch Europe

More panellists to be announced soon.

Find out more.