Bioeconomy Policy in Europe: Status Quo and Ways Forward

Bioeconomy offers a range of solutions for grand challenges, directly related to the transgression of planetary boundaries and issues such as an increasing (and aging) population, climate change, and biodiversity loss. Due to its cross-sectoral nature, the bioeconomy directs our fossil-based market system toward production and consumption patterns, which may improve sustainability in all economic sectors. Although the bioeconomy holds huge potential for a sustainable future, there is an urgent need to further advance and implement the bioeconomy in all European Union (EU) Member States and their regions. Supportive framework conditions to foster bioeconomy innovation and commercialization, and effective dissemination of this knowledge across the EU and its Member States, are of key importance.
The following commentary provides an analysis of key cornerstones of bioeconomy developments and derives selected recommendations to establish such supportive framework conditions.