Under the future Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), the European Commission will not approve the national strategic plan of a member state that does not include the promotion of the bioeconomy in agriculture, the EU\u2019s farming Commissioner Phil Hogan said on Thursday (25 April).<\/p>\n
\u201cThe bioeconomy is a very important subject that requires EU-wide action and it is now stating explicitly as part of the 9 EU objectives\u201d of the reformed CAP, Hogan said.<\/p>\n
The EU Commissioner for agriculture and rural development was answering a question from EURACTIV.com at the conference Our Forest, Our Future in Brussels last Friday (26 April).<\/p>\n
Through national strategic plans laid down in the proposed CAP, all member states will outline how they want to meet these 9 EU-wide objectives, including the promotion of the bioeconomy, using the CAP tools.<\/p>\n
Hogan pointed out that EU countries are required to submit proposals on how to expand the bioeconomy\u2019s role in agriculture and in all bio-based industries.
\nPrivate sector is part of the solution in bioeconomy, experts say
\nThe private sector has a key role to play in promoting bioeconomy in the agrifood sector, high-level experts have told EURACTIV.com. However, they said the risk of depriving the food production system of organic resources must be weighed up.<\/p>\n
According to the EU\u2019s agriculture boss, EU member states will have more freedom under the Commission\u2019s proposal for the future CAP. This freedom will allow them to focus on their bioeconomies and help them meet the higher ambitions of the future policy on the environment and climate change.<\/p>\n
\u201cA sustainable bioeconomy is also hugely important for reducing emissions in the EU,\u201d said Hogan, mentioning bioenergy\u2019s contribution to help meeting renewable energy targets for 2020 and 2030, but also to substitute fossil-based materials in sectors like construction, plastics or textiles.<\/p>\n
EU and national strategies<\/p>\n
The Commission\u2019s bioeconomy strategy was initially conceived seven years ago as a way to encourage Europe to be less dependent on petroleum. The updated strategy presented last October expanded its action plan to develop a sustainable and circular bioeconomy from mainly biofuels to any kind of bio-based industry.
\nNew EU bioeconomy strategy widens scope to solve more cycle problems
\nThe European Commission\u2019s new strategy is seeking to create a sustainable bioeconomy and build a carbon-neutral future. Rather than just find a replacement for petroleum-based products, the strategy addresses broader cyclic challenges, including food and nutrition security.<\/p>\n
Now the strategy looks more at the circular economy as well as sustainability. The three goals of the strategy, as stated by the Commission, are to strengthen and scale up the bio-based sectors, unlock investments and markets, deploy local bioeconomies rapidly across the whole of Europe and understand the ecological boundaries of the bioeconomy.<\/p>\n
The Commission\u2019s action plan also promotes the uptake of national bioeconomy strategies, setting up tools such as the European bioeconomy policy support facility, as well as a European Bioeconomy forum, in order to help EU countries develop their own strategy.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need a bioeconomy strategy that can be implemented in every member state,\u201d Hogan said.<\/p>\n
Currently, only Germany, France, Spain, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Finland and Malta have dedicated\u00a0national bioeconomy strategies at the national level. Six EU countries have strategies under development while the remaining 13 have other policy initiatives\u00a0or related strategies at a national level.<\/p>\n
Additional income for farmers<\/p>\n
\u201cFor the past 4 years at the EU level, I have put the bioeconomy centrally in the agricultural policy discussions of the future,\u201d said Hogan.<\/p>\n
According to Hogan, the European Parliament agrees that the bioeconomy can be a win-win for\u00a0farmers and\u00a0cooperatives when it comes to creating jobs in rural areas and\u00a0 providing a new source of income for farmers.<\/p>\n
However, the three reports that together form the entire CAP structure were approved only by the agriculture committee of the European Parliament, without reaching the plenary stage.<\/p>\n
It means that it will be up to the\u00a0Conference of Presidents of the next Parliament, after the EU elections in May, to decide whether\u00a0to forward the draft report directly\u00a0to the plenary or ask the next agriculture committee to start from scratch instead.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have tried our best to get member states and farmers focused on this for the future,\u201d Hogan said. \u201cAnd now, for the first time, I think we are succeeding.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hogan hopes member states will make their own initiatives and that the discussions with the Romanian presidency will be successful and help farmers and producers see the potential of the bioeconomy.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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