The Bioeconomy Policy day in Brussels on 16th November 2017 was a part of the HORIZON 2020 infoweek. The day gathered over 800 participants to share the latest development in the field of bioeconomy policy issues. The event also wrapped up feedback for the EU for updating its bioeconomy strategy.
Stories, Cooperation and Policy Development
An inspiring speech was given by Carlos Moedas, EU Commissioner for Research, Science and Innovation. He listed three aspects about how bioeconomy can be successful in Europe.
First, the people who believe in the bioeconomy should communicate about bioeconomy across Europe. We should talk about the good things and its possibilities. Actually, sustainable (circular) bioeconomy is the only way we can manage in the future. Moedas encouraged to tell this to people through a story, through examples, so they will understand and remember. The story should be modified when talking to children, students, colleagues, experts, neighbors, parents, grandparents…
Secondly, there is a need for tight cooperation between different sectors of policymaking. Moedas mentioned the example from Finland where setting up the bioeconomy strategy was managed in cooperation between five ministries. Furthermore, he mentioned that the Finnish forest resources are managed and used widely, but in a sustainable way because at the same time the forests are increasing.
The third aspect is that there is a need for more private investments to develop the bioeconomy. However, the private money goes where the private investors see stability. This is a challenge for policymakers: stability has to be created. We should learn from each other, if something works in one country or region, it can be copied and modified it to another country or region.
BIOREGIO Promotes Bio-based Circular Economy
The speech from Moedas was encouraging from BIOREGIO point of view. Actually, BIOREGIO is dealing with all these all aspects. The project spreads knowledge and “stories” about good practices in bio-based circular economy. Cooperation models and expertise are shared between regions. Through this, BIOREGIO strives to develop policies, which contributes to reaching stability in the sector. As Moedas encouraged, BIOREGIO will continue to tell the story about how important bio-based circular economy is.
This article was originally published on the LAMKgreen blog.
