EU Bioeconomy strategy - Towards a circular, regenerative and competitive bioeconomy - Timeline

  • Opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee – Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions – A Strategic Framework for a Competitive and Sustainable EU Bioeconomy (COM(2025) 960 final)

    EESC 2025/03968

    OJ C, C/2026/3558, 22.7.2026, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/C/2026/3558/oj (BG, ES, CS, DA, DE, ET, EL, EN, FR, GA, HR, IT, LV, LT, HU, MT, NL, PL, PT, RO, SK, SL, FI, SV)

    ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/C/2026/3558/oj

    Date of document:
    29/04/2026; Date of vote
    Date of vote:
    29/04/2026
    Date lodged:
    22/12/2025
    Author:
    European Economic and Social Committee
    Responsible body:
    Section for Agriculture, Rural Development and the Environment, EESC_NAT
    Rapporteur:
    Arnaud SCHWARTZ
    Form:
    Opinion
    Internal reference:
    NAT/974, AVIS-SECTION 2025/3968 FIN
    Session:
    605
    European flag

    Official Journal
    of the European Union

    EN

    C series

    C/2026/3558

    22.7.2026

    Opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee

    Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions – A Strategic Framework for a Competitive and Sustainable EU Bioeconomy

    (COM(2025) 960 final)

    (C/2026/3558)

    Rapporteur:

    Arnaud SCHWARTZ

    Advisor

    Eva BILLE

    Referral

    European Commission, 22.12.2025

    Legal basis

    Article 192(1) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union

    Section responsible

    Agriculture, Rural Development and the Environment

    Adopted in section

    16.4.2026

    Adopted at plenary session

    29.4.2026

    Plenary session No

    605

    Outcome of vote

    (for/against/abstentions)

    214/0/6

    1.   Conclusions and recommendations

    The EESC strongly appeals to the European Commission to take into account the fact that:

    1.1.

    		 Europe is a resource-constrained and highly import-dependent continent, among others on fossil fuels and raw material, in an increasingly tense geopolitical situation. At the same time, the overexploitation of natural resources is one of the main causes of ongoing loss of biodiversity (1). In line with the Sustainable Development Goals, coherence between EU climate and biodiversity targets and the circular economy must be ensured. A robust and well-defined bioeconomy strategy will complement progress made on the circular economy and will allow for decarbonisation, well-being and long-term competitiveness within planetary boundaries.

    1.2.

    		 The EU will only be a global leader if its institutions establish strict principles and safeguards in relation to what can serve as inputs into the bioeconomy, be it primary or secondary biomass from agriculture, aquaculture, forests, nature or municipal/industrial waste for example. The EU Bioeconomy Strategy must focus on the green transformation of the economy taking into account environmental and social aspects. A sustainable and circular bioeconomy will strengthen the EU’s economy and competitiveness, reduce the dependence on fossil resources, contribute to achieving the climate targets and creating new jobs as well as environmental and social benefits. This leadership should prioritise quality jobs, especially in rural and remote regions. These principles should be quantifiable, enforceable and monitored across the supply chain, and applied equally to European and imported feedstock. Importantly in the global context, we need to tackle the unfair competition from under-priced (often subsidised) fossil feedstock, that does not price in externalities of extraction, use and depletion.

    1.3.

    		 The EU needs to be clear about the value to society of the use and non-use of the bioeconomy, while making a strict commitment to the waste hierarchy, prioritising a reduction of resource use first, to make the bioeconomy truly circular and competitive. While the proposed strategy does mention a hierarchy of use of biomass that fosters resource efficiency, the safeguards should be strengthened towards long-term and multi-cycle solutions to also close the loop.

    2.   General comments

    2.1.

    		 The implementation of the 2012 bioeconomy strategy and its 2018 update have driven significant progress in research and innovation. The new strategy builds on this foundation and seeks to leverage advances in biotechnology, in alignment with the Competitiveness Compass, the Clean Industrial Deal, and the Vision for Agriculture and Food. It focuses on five areas: scaling up, creating demand, sustainable sourcing, global partnerships and joint delivery.

    2.2.

    		 The bioeconomy should be developed in a sustainable manner considering biodiversity and ecosystems services as key aspects. 72 % of euro-area businesses depend deeply on ecosystem services (2). Scaling up, innovation, and EU competitiveness are not goals to be met outside of context – they only become relevant if preconditions of resource sufficiency and efficiency, circularity, and sustainable supply of biomass have been met. The claim in the strategy as well as in the March 2026 Council conclusions on the bioeconomy strategy that the EU is 90 % self-sufficient is not sufficiently evidenced – rather there is evidence for individual sectors where the EU has a trade deficit (3). The Strategy proposes charting a way forward to build a sustainable and a nature-positive bioeconomy, and circularity in particular plays a key role in this. This will require deliberate attention to be given to biodiversity benefits and safeguards as part of implementation.

    2.3.

    		 It is impossible to ignore the global context of this strategy. The markets for fossil- and bio-based materials are inherently global, and competitiveness thus has to be seen not only from a perspective of what is in the EU’s control (a local shift from fossil to bio inputs) but within an ecosystem of global partnerships and competition across and within materials. The principles underpinning a sustainable bioeconomy must therefore be expanded to global discussions, and only through partnerships based on ambitious input standards and the pricing-in of fossil-based externalities can the bioeconomy succeed.

    2.4.

    		 Financial support to bolster sustainable frontrunners and enable them to scale up must be provided, complemented by measurable and traceable criteria and strict conditionalities to avoid perverse incentives for non-renewable or non-regenerative extraction in the EU or globally, and to prevent all forms of greenwashing. This must go hand in hand with fiscal measures to discourage the use of fossil materials. Support linked to the Circular Bio-based Europe Joint Undertaking (CBE JU) partnership, as well as European Investment Bank loans should be strengthened for this purpose.

    2.5.

    		 Stakeholder involvement is crucial, and the EESC has an important role to play. The governance of new fora such as the Bioeconomy Regulators and Innovators Forum must be transparent and inclusive, ensuring that all voices (including that of civil society) are not only heard but listened to. Established cross-cutting networks such as the European Circular Economy Stakeholder Platform (ECESP) and its Coordination Group should be prioritised, to facilitate peer-to-peer learning and knowledge-sharing. The ECESP Knowledge Hub, other relevant new and existing fora, the Bio-based Industries Consortium (BIC), the European Regions Research and Innovation Network (ERRIN), and Horizon Europe consortia can help collate and share knowledge.

    2.6.

    		 An explicit commitment to public communication, education and engagement at all levels is essential to close existing information and trust gaps with citizens and thus build political and social support for an ambitious bioeconomy strategy. This education should be included in curricula for young people at primary and secondary school levels and in vocational training.

    2.7.

    		 Drawing on the successful work of the EU Bioeconomy Youth Ambassadors, the EESC supports the proposal to establish a permanent, participatory platform so as to include young people as stakeholders in the decision-making process.

    2.8.

    		 The bioeconomy must comply with circularity principles, especially with the principles of circular design and an efficient use of renewable resources, as entailed in the cascading principle (4). Cascading should be reinforced as a core governance principle, giving clear priority, after ecosystems’ long-term needs, to food use for direct human consumption in the interests of food security and safety, while valorising only unavoidable residues and by-products. Material choices should factor in a full lifecycle perspective of environmental impacts, acknowledging the wider impacts on nature from extraction to use to remanufacture and disposal. Product lifespan matters and should be reflected in policy incentives. We need healthy, living, diverse and fertile ecosystems and nature-based solutions – carbon storage time alone is therefore an insufficient land-use indicator.

    2.9.

    		 Design is the driving force for ensuring an efficient use of renewable resources, keeping bio-based resources in use for longer, reducing extraction, minimising land conversion, and allowing nature to regenerate. Therefore, circular design in bioeconomy products and innovation should be encouraged, resource use reduced, waste eliminated or minimised and valorised, energy input made circular, and efforts focused on working with local natural cycles and creating local quality jobs. The circular economy provides a systemic approach to sustainably managing material flows, promoting a reduction in use, as well as the repair, reuse and recirculation of raw materials; this is driven by ecodesign, which is already being implemented in certain integrated biorefineries. The bioeconomy includes a focus on the same principles, applied to biomass flows. Its design needs to cater for materials being non-toxic, free from problematic mixtures, and compatible with safe return pathways such as industrial composting or other controlled environments.

    2.10.

    		 The bioeconomy is a strategic choice requiring investment, cross-sectoral, life-long education, training and adaptation. Strong peer-to-peer learning facilities, including the social partners and universities across the EU, should support learning from each other, developing iterative learning, easy access to finance and funding, and knowledge exchange (5).

    2.11.

    		 Building on previous research and investment, specific research and innovation funding is needed to maximise sustainable bioeconomy opportunities and support forward-looking academic research and co-creation. This should identify where the highest value lies for society, enable local closed-loop industrial symbiosis, including in the agri-food sector, facilitated through biomass hubs (6), and highlight social benefits while operating within planetary boundaries.

    2.12.

    		 Bioeconomy must rely on sustainable land-use practices supporting a sustainable use of plant production products, soil health and carbon-capture.

    2.13.

    		 The valorisation of manure (including through the RENURE project or biogas production plants) can reduce the use of mineral fertilisers (and the negative impacts related to their production) while enhancing circularity and fostering the development of the rural and local bioeconomy (7). However, this valorisation of manure must not lead to lock-in effects. Furthermore, the EU remains highly dependent on imports for specific animal feed segments, in particular high-protein feed where import dependence reaches around two-thirds, even if the EU level of self-sufficiency has increased with the development of biofuels. Any bioeconomy scenario must therefore rely on a strong European protein and oil strategy, for example through the development of new regional value chains that are self-sustaining (8).

    2.14.

    		 The BIOEAST initiative offers a model for cooperation in the sector. Central and Eastern Europe, including many candidate countries, have an important role in biomass valorisation (9). The initiative also encourages the regions to develop bioeconomy strategies, based on their local strengths. Stronger regional support for bioeconomy development should still be encouraged beyond Central and Eastern Europe. While the EU has extensive experience in the bioeconomy and can build on good practices and international initiatives (e.g. the FAO, G20 and others), the current competitive and geopolitical context requires it to move beyond voluntary and fragmented cooperation. A more systematic and strategic bioeconomy dialogue should be established across all spheres of EU external engagement, including neighbourhood policy, enlargement and broader international partnerships.

    3.   Policy coherence including the Sustainable Development Goals

    3.1.

    		 The EU Bioeconomy Strategy must be coherent with other initiatives under the European Green Deal, the Paris Agreement, the Ocean Pact, the Biodiversity Strategy, the Circular Economy Action Plans and upcoming Act and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, including the Nature Restoration Regulation, as well as the EU Deforestation Regulation, the Soil Monitoring Law, the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation, the Vision for Agriculture and Food, and others. The planned Circular Economy Act and Biotech Act II should include bioeconomy considerations holistically. This will ensure that the EU bioeconomy actively contributes to climate and biodiversity goals, and endeavours to make the biotech strategy explicitly tangible.

    3.2.

    		 It is important to work on monitoring, modelling and mapping the amount of biomass that is safely available and its flows, in particular via the KCB (10). The EESC supports the proposed work of the Knowledge Centre. The use of biomass should not harm ecosystems. Establishing definitions of sustainable and available biomass is therefore a very important first step, which must build on the three pillars of sustainability and serve the public interest (availability of nature, biodiversity, water, land, healthy soils). Improved methodologies and models for assessing sustainable biomass availability and sustainability across its uses and non-use must be strengthened. Measuring and monitoring gaps will need to be closed through this approach.

    3.3.

    		 Due diligence in the biomass supply chain should align with the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) and the Deforestation Regulation (EUDR).

    3.4.

    		 The bioeconomy needs an agreed definition clarifying that it is a key tool for sustainable development. The definition should state that ‘sustainable solutions’ must encompass environmental, social and economic aspects as joint and equal priorities, consistent with the G20 (11) and United Nations definitions. This can ensure consistent strategies across Member States and regions and promote global coherence and justice, to avoid exporting the EU’s consumption footprint impact. This also means an integrated approach to neighbourhood policy, enlargement, and trade partnerships with strong mirror clauses.

    3.5.

    		 Including bioeconomy considerations in Product Environmental Footprint calculations would be positive, but not all carbon storage is equal and safeguards are needed to ensure sustainable use of land, water and forests.

    3.6.

    		 The bioeconomy must enhance a blue circular bioeconomy (including fisheries, aquaculture), consistent with the Blue Deal and the Ocean Pact. Resource-use mapping should include water footprints, with clear links to ecodesign and the Chemicals Strategy to reflect ecosystems and human health.

    3.7.

    		 Competitiveness should be considered in line with EESC positions highlighting that it must not justify lowering green and social standards, and should always be assessed for coherence with the Sustainable Development Goals commitments, particularly in the context of the Draghi report (12).

    4.   Scaling up and creating demand only with sustainable supply as a precondition

    4.1.

    		 Scaling up and creating demand as highlighted in the bioeconomy strategy only becomes relevant if sustainable supply has been well-defined and secured. The bioeconomy requires a sustainable supply of biomass in line with nature restoration and that ensures biodiversity preservation across land and sea. Public procurement is a powerful tool to drive demand for sustainable products. Non-price criteria should be mandatory, favour non-use, reuse and repair, and include social conditionalities. Procurement targets requiring bio-based content should be justified by robust assessment that it leads to sustainable objectives, in particular with respect to their interaction with recycled content targets. Lead markets should be strategically selected and supported, particularly secondary biomass, residual, by-product and unavoidable waste-based feedstocks (13).

    4.2.

    		 High-tech innovation remains important, especially for bio-based components derived from by-products and secondary materials that replace fossil-based or otherwise unsustainable products. Bio-based materials can contribute to decarbonisation, reducing dependence on imported fossil-based inputs (such as fertilisers) and strengthening the EU’s strategic autonomy. Finding a balanced portfolio of circular solutions, to be updated with the latest data and science, allowing fossil substitutes to contribute where they deliver the best outcomes, will be key.

    4.3.

    		 Digital and technological tools drive efficiency in the bioeconomy but should not become the objective. Innovation is not an end in itself. The goal is sufficient and efficient use of natural biological processes to improve sustainability, based on circularity. Data should be openly accessible or publicly owned to ensure autonomy and fairness. At the same time, the bioeconomy aims to ensure a fair transition, respecting sustainable traditional practices and nature-based solutions. In the agri-food sector, many farms already work with nature through agroecological and regenerative practices to produce high quality, high-value food without relying on high-tech or digital tools. This element is complementary and should not be lost in a drive for greater use of high technology. Nature-based solutions for food and the environment should also be supported.

    4.4.

    		 Urban farming, data-supported short supply chains and circular food hubs can reduce food waste and integrate circularity and the bioeconomy, and should be designed in collaboration with urban communities, while increasing respect for food as a consumer responsibility.

    4.5.

    		 The use of natural systems to create carbon sinks can be enhanced and encouraged and should be seen as a key component of European agriculture and forestry (14). The EESC already asked to further promote regenerative forms of agriculture to enhance sustainable food production, supporting climate, soil health and biodiversity objectives, while increasing both income for farmers as well as agricultural productivity and resilience to extreme climate events (15). In addition, nature credits can help mobilise private finance and incentivise nature-positive action, but they should complement and not replace public policy, public funding and regulatory frameworks (16). Markets alone cannot deliver biodiversity and sustainability objectives and may entail risks related to effectiveness, additionality, administrative burden for practitioners and speculative dynamics. The bioeconomy should therefore remain grounded in primary production systems, ecosystem stewardship and public-interest investment, building on existing agricultural, environmental and cohesion policy frameworks.

    4.6.

    		 A sustainable forest-based bioeconomy can help rebalance the EU’s economic and trade structure by building on existing expertise and competitive advantages in high value-added bio-based solutions, including engineered wood, sustainable construction, advanced biomaterials, green chemistry and circular packaging, while operating within ecological limits. Biodiverse forests managed under continuous cover forestry (CCF), as in many EU Member States, provide multiple sustainability benefits.

    The credibility of this approach depends on forest management practices being consistent with biodiversity and ecosystem objectives. Closer-to-nature forest management (CNFM) (17) offers for example a flexible, science-based framework delivering multiple sustainability benefits while accommodating diverse ecological conditions, in line with the EU Biodiversity Strategy and the EU Forest Strategy.

    5.   Social element

    5.1.

    		 The bioeconomy has an additional social dimension, considering the people involved in the associated businesses and the benefits for communities. Skills and bioeconomy competences are crucial for the success of the implementation of the strategy, and all kinds of dialogue involving civil society and the social partners, e.g. through collective bargaining, should be considered.

    5.2.

    		 As part of a rural strategy and efforts to support rural, coastal and remote areas, the bioeconomy offers opportunities to create well-paid, sustainable jobs, training and social benefits through the development of a bioeconomy that is aligned with circularity and sustainability. The potential for rural development and to increase the ecosystem around the bioeconomy should be prioritised, and bioeconomy skills are integral to this.

    5.3.

    		 The Strategic Dialogue on Agriculture report (18) offers a chance to integrate circular principles, through the bioeconomy, into a resilient EU food system. A food systems approach should guide policy, ensuring that each part of the value chain is considered. Support and funding beyond the common agricultural policy (CAP) should be identified to provide incentives for a holistic and sustainable food system and to ensure comprehensive support for farmers seeking to make the transition.

    5.4.

    		 The Bioeconomy Strategy, together with the Vision for Agriculture and Food and the Long-Term Vision for Rural Areas, provides a chance to lay the groundwork for a vision for rural Europe, prioritising well-being and circular principles such as shorter supply chains, repair and reuse. It should outline measures to empower young people as transformative change-makers in shaping the bioeconomy.

    5.5.

    		 Broader societal benefits include improved community health and well-being, healthcare savings, and rural regeneration. Research is needed to ensure that bioeconomy practices are fair, highlighting opportunities while acknowledging the challenges.

    Brussels, 29 April 2026.

    The President

    of the European Economic and Social Committee

    Séamus BOLAND

    (1)   OJ C, C/2024/6880, 28.11.2024, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/C/2024/6880/oj.

    (2)   Unlocking finance and investments in nature | Sustainable finance | European Environment Agency (EEA).

    (3)   https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-/publication/97ebf16d-4dbf-11f0-a9d0-01aa75ed71a1/language-en; https://fefac.eu/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/FF_2024_FINAL.pdf.

    (4)   OJ C, C/2025/109, 10.1.2025, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/C/2025/109/oj.

    (5)  Such as in the University of Reims Champagne-Ardennes with the Exebio institute and the CMQ (Centre des métiers et qualifications) to train young people on the bioeconomy.

    (6)   Food, Bioeconomy, Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment.

    —

    HORIZON-CL6-2026-01-CIRCBIO-05: Understanding biomass flows in Europe.

    —

    HORIZON-CL6-2027-01-CIRCBIO-07: Improving biomass flows for a sustainable and circular bioeconomy.

    (7)  EESC information report on Benefits of extensive livestock farming and organic fertilizers in the context of the European Green Deal (EGD).

    (8)   OJ C 75, 28.2.2023, p. 88.

    (9)   OJ C, C/2025/109, 10.1.2025, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/C/2025/109/oj.

    (10)   Bioeconomy.

    (11)  G20 High-Level Principles on Bioeconomy: http://www.gov.br/g20/en/news/g20-reaches-consensus-and-establishes-high-level-principles-on-bioeconomy/gib-g20-brasil-high-level-principles.pdf/@@download/file.

    (12)   The future of European competitiveness.

    (13)  Such lead markets should explicitly include sectors with high material intensity and circularity potential, such as textiles, clothing and footwear, as well as the building and construction sector, where cascading use of biomass, durability, design for reuse and bio-based innovation can deliver significant environmental and competitiveness benefits.

    (14)   OJ C 323, 26.8.2022, p. 95 .

    (15)  OJ C, C/2025/4207, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/C/2025/4207/oj.

    (16)  EESC opinion on ‘Roadmap towards Nature Credits’ (OJ C, C/2026/2548, 22.5.2026, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/C/2026/2548/oj).

    (17)   Guidelines on closer-to-nature forest management.

    (18)   Strategic dialogue on the future of EU agriculture.

    ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/C/2026/3558/oj

    ISSN 1977-091X (electronic edition)

    Top