“With about € 700 billion turnover and 3.6 million people employed, the bio-based industries are helping to alleviate the impact of the crisis by keeping essential services running and maintaining green jobs,” BIC states. “Our companies are providing much-needed supplies such as food and feed ingredients, (compostable) packaging, hand sanitisers, masks, tissues, and energy from renewable feedstock.”
The bio-based sector can help by turning the crisis into new opportunities for green growth and by being a strong partner in the EU’s green economic recovery. It is integrating ‘traditional’ industrial sectors into innovative value chains in making the European bioeconomy the global leader. It sustainably uses domestic renewable feedstock from agriculture, forestry and fisheries as well as residues and bio-waste, and process it in state-of-the-art biorefineries to provide bio-based solutions for customers and consumers. It also helps to improve food security, foster circularity, stimulate rural development and maintain green jobs in EU regions.
Positive impacts
Therefore, the letter continues, it is necessary to build on the positive impacts of the Bio-based Industries Joint Undertaking (BBI JU) and to fully implement the EU Bioeconomy Strategy: “To enable our industry to fully deploy its potential, the European Green Deal should better recognise the importance of the bioeconomy and support the private-public partnership Circular Bio-based Europe. Only together can private and public sectors ensure that economic recovery and green growth go hand in hand. Our companies are committed to investing in circular and innovative bio-based solutions in Europe, paving the way to a more sustainable and resilient future.”
The letter is addressed tot Executive First Vice-President Frans Timmermans and Commissioners Janusz Wojciechowski (Agriculture), Mariya Gabriel (Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth), Elisa Ferreira (Cohesion and Reforms), Virginijus Sinkevičius (Environment, Oceans and Fisheries) and Thierry Breton (Internal Market).
Recovery plan
The European Council will today (19 June) speak via video conferencing about a recovery fund in response to the COVID-19 crisis, in conjunction with a new long-term EU budget. At the heart of the discussion is the proposal for a new recovery tool and for the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) for 2021-2027, as presented by the European Commission 27 May 2020.
Earlier this week, BBI JU presented a report about its impact on the green revovery of Europe.
Image: symbiot/Shutterstock
