The EU countries stress the contribution of a sustainable bioeconomy to the European Union’s competitiveness and strategic autonomy, according to draft conclusions analysing the European Commission’s communication on the bioeconomy (see EUROPE 13761/1).
On Monday 9 February, the Cyprus Presidency of the EU Council submitted draft conclusions on the bioeconomy for adoption by the ‘Environment’ Council on 17 March.
Delegations must send in any comments by Thursday 12 February at the latest. On this basis, the Cyprus Presidency of the EU Council will prepare revised draft conclusions for the EU Council working group meeting scheduled for 20 February.
The draft conclusions welcome the Commission’s intention to identify and strengthen reference markets in the sectors listed in the strategy, but also call for other sectors to be taken into account, such as “footwear and textile, cork, natural resins, pulp and paper, natural fibres, mycelium-based materials, bio-based fibre packaging, biopharmaceuticals, and marine and blue bioeconomy applications, notably in island and coastal Member States”.
It should be remembered that a bio-based product is not automatically environmentally friendly, particularly in the case of bio-based plastics which, although they can reduce environmental impacts compared with conventional plastics, “need to be sustainably sourced, used and designed for circularity”, according to the project.
The text also stresses the importance of using biomass efficiently, giving priority to “high added-value applications in order to guarantee food and nutritional security while maintaining and improving ecosystem services”.
Member States particularly stress the importance of producing higher added-value products and materials that allow for longer-term carbon storage and replace fossil-based materials, while guaranteeing circularity and resource efficiency.
The draft conclusions also support the development of economic incentives for carbon farming and nature-friendly actions, notably through the ‘carbon certification framework’ and the Commission’s ‘roadmap’ towards nature credits.
It also emphasises the “strategic role” of the forest bioeconomy and the wood and non-wood forest products value chain as sources of sustainable growth and jobs, economic development, biodiversity conservation and restoration, climate neutrality and adaptation, and circular economic models.
Finally, the text expresses concern at the widespread environmental degradation, pollution and depletion of natural resources resulting from Russia’s war against Ukraine, a conflict that has caused “serious and lasting damage to ecosystems, infrastructure and communities”, according to the draft conclusions. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)