ECRN has submitted its contribution to the upcoming revision of the EU Bioeconomy Strategy, underlining the critical role of regional authorities in ensuring its successful implementation. The feedback builds on local experiences and proposes a set of targeted recommendations to enhance the bioeconomy’s impact on Europe’s competitiveness, sustainability, and territorial cohesion.

• Empowering regions for effective implementation
  ECRN stresses the need to recognise regional administrations as key actors in shaping and delivering bioeconomy policies. Their in-depth knowledge of local contexts ensures that funding and support align with real territorial needs. Simplifying access to financing and removing regulatory barriers will help accelerate innovation and deployment across regions.
• Boosting the value chains and circular models
  The feedback highlights the importance of supporting integrated bioeconomy value chains and encouraging industrial symbiosis. This includes better valorisation of by-products, biowaste, and renewable raw materials, as well as reinforcing the role of primary producers. The network calls for stable, clear rules to stimulate market uptake of bio-based products and technologies.
• Skills, technology yransfer, and innovation
  To drive the bioeconomy forward, ECRN advocates for investments in education, vocational training, and technology transfer. Facilitating access to research infrastructure and pilot facilities is key to speeding up time-to-market for innovations. These measures are also aligned with the goals of the updated Italian Bioeconomy Strategy (BIT II), cited as a regional best practice.
• Creating awareness and trust in bio-based solutions
  Public awareness and demand for sustainable products must be strengthened through local engagement and communication efforts. ECRN recommends supporting community-led initiatives, scientific outreach, and partnerships between research, business, and education providers.
• Policy coherence and strategic support
  ECRN encourages the EU to adopt favourable State aid rules, introduce dedicated NACE codes for bioeconomy sectors, and implement targeted incentives to promote sustainable value chains. Recognising the bioeconomy’s role in achieving climate neutrality and addressing geopolitical challenges is central to the strategy’s long-term success.

Please find the full document here: ECRN feedback on the EU Bioeconomy Strategy