On the occasion of the EU Bioeconomy Policy Day and the release of the Staff Working Document on the review of the EU Bioeconomy Strategy in Brussels on 16 November, CEPF Secretary General Emma Berglund stressed the relevance of the further development of the EU bioeconomy:
“The revision EU Bioeconomy Strategy should take a more holistic approach to lead the way towards sustainable and climate friendly solutions for everyday life. The bioeconomy is not only an opportunity for mitigating climate change, but also for inclusive growth, rural prosperity and innovations and new ways of thinking”.
Sustainable management of natural resources and enhanced mobilisation and use of EU-grown biomass are key to a thriving EU bioeconomy and should be further promoted. In this context, Berglund called for a balance between all three pillars of sustainability, namely economic, social and environmental.
“Europe’s forest owners are at the start of the bioeconomy value-chain, delivering a renewable raw material from sustainably managed multifunctional forests. But only a competitive and economically viable forest sector is able to fulfil its multifunctional role and ensure sustainable development of the environmental and social functions and services provided by forests. Therefore, the new initiative on the EU Bioeconomy Strategy and Action Plan should better support forest sector growth, employment and competitiveness as well as the increased mobilisation and use of wood”.
Given the continued emphasis on cascading use of biomass in the context of bioeconomy, CEPF reiterates that the principle must not be embedded into legislation, as markets should steer biomass flows. A EU bioeconomy with strong markets for a wide range of forest-based products can provide the right incentives for increased innovation, resource efficiency and investments.
As underlined in the Commission review, a special emphasis should be put on increasing coherence of relevant policies and developing long-term stability and predictability of the operational environment.
CEPF, as a member of the European Bioeconomy Alliance (EUBA), representing key stakeholders along the bioeconomy value chains, propose a set of policy recommendations for the upcoming revision of the EU Bioeconomy Strategy and related Action Plan. In its “Policy asks for the bioeconomy strategy revision”, it calls for concrete measures and long-term support for sustainably-produced biomass, fostering investment and market development.
For further information, please contact:
Meri Siljama, Confederation of European Forest Owners (CEPF), meri.siljama@cepf-eu.org