WORKSHOP: State of implementation and future perspectives of the sustainable and circular Bioeconomy in Europe and abroad
DATE AND VENUE: Presidency of Council of Ministers, Rome - November 28, 2023 (10.00-12.30)
RATIONAL
The bioeconomy encompasses the full range of activities from the production of terrestrial and marine bioresources to their transformation into food, feed, chemicals, materials and fuels. It provides a sustainable response to the need for bio-based food, materials and energy, as well as tools to achieve common goals: reduce dependence on fossil fuels and limited raw materials, preserve and restore natural resources and ecosystems, and ensure high-quality environmental services. The bioeconomy can also be an effective accelerator in the regeneration of soil, hydrosphere and natural resources, as well as marginal/desertified/abandoned land and former industrial sites, and for the sustainable exploitation of marine and coastal areas, leveraging territorial traditions and specificities.
In Europe, Member States are supporting the bioeconomy, albeit with priorities depending on their industrial specialisation. As of December 2022, 10 EU Member States have national bioeconomy strategies, 7 have a strategy under development, and 6 others have policy initiatives dedicated to the bioeconomy. The EU Bioeconomy Policy Forum is connecting all EU Member States by promoting synergies and new joint actions to strengthen the bioeconomy in the framework of the of the upcoming EU Presidencies and the New European Innovation Agenda (NEIA). The JRC of the EU Commission is working on the definition of indicators to assess bioeconomies in different Member States. FAO has strengthened their presence in the field of sustainable bioeconomy, as has the OECD.
This year's G20 Environment and Research Summit included the bioeconomy as an enabling pillar of sustainable growth and will continue to do so under the Brazilian Presidency. Last year, the Chinese government announced the "14th Five-Year Plan for the Development of the Bioeconomy," and the Biden-Harris administration followed it by launching the National Biotechnology and Biomanufacturing Initiative to strengthen the U.S. bioeconomy.
Italy is sustaining Bioeconomy on the various EU and international fronts, bringing its priorities and expertise.
The aim of the meeting is to share essential information on the various EU and international initiatives mentioned with the aim of better preparing Italy so that it can play an important role in the current and future European and international landscape.
AGENDA
10.00 - Welcome Andrea Lenzi, President of the “Biosafety, Biotechnology and Life Sciences National Committee” (CNBBSV), and Fabio Fava, Scientific Coordinator of the “National Bioeconomy Coordination Board” (CNBBSV)
10.15 - The bioeconomy in the EU and in the context of New European Innovation Agenda
Adrian Leip, Bioeconomy Coordinator, European Commission (DG RTD)
10.35 - Indicators and dimensions of the European Bioeconomy
Andrea Camia, European Commission (DG JRC)
10.55 - The Bioeconomy in the world
James Philps, OECD, Paris
11.15 - FAO's action to promote the sustainable and circular bioeconomy in the world
Marta Gomez San Juan, FAO, Rome
11.35 - The Bioeconomy in the context of the G20 and G7
Agostino Inguscio, Italian Presidency of the Council of Ministers
11.55 - Italy's Contribution to the Implementation of the European and Global Bioeconomy
Fabio Fava, "National Bioeconomy Coordination Group", CNBBSV, Italian Presidency of the Council of Ministers and MUR
12.12 - Support and Coordination Actions European Bioeconomy Coordinated by Italy
Chiara Pocaterra, APRE, Rome
12.20 - Discussion
12.30 - Conclusions and next meeting