Published by the European Commission the contributions received during the public consultation of the initiative“Towards a Circular, Regenerative and Competitive Bioeconomy,” aimed at developing a new EU Strategy for the Bioeconomy.

The consultation ran from March 31 to June 23, 2025 and was open to citizens, businesses, organizations, and other stakeholders.

362 responses were received. The countries with the most contributions were Belgium (88), Germany (62), France (40), the Netherlands (26) and Italy (23).

Among the participants in the public consultation, the most represented categories were business associations (28 percent) and companies/enterprises (24 percent). Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and academic or research institutions participated to a lesser extent (11% and 10%, respectively).

The paper provides a neutral and concise account of the views expressed, and highlights that, according to the participants in the public consultation, the new EU Bioeconomy Strategy should focus primarily on:

1. Increasing circularity in bioeconomy value chains (63%)
2. Promoting the sustainable production and use of biomass, to counter biodiversity loss (56%)
3. Contribute to climate mitigation and adaptation (55%)
4. Strengthening the global competitiveness of the European bioeconomy (44%)
5. Supporting the biotechnology and bioproduction sectors in the EU (40%)

Among the main challenges for the EU bioeconomy, the most prominent according to participants is the risk of loss of competitiveness of the sector due to changes in the environment and regulatory uncertainty.

Among the main challenges for the EU bioeconomy, the most prominent according to participants is the risk of loss of competitiveness of the sector due to changes in the environment and regulatory uncertainty.

The public consultation also gathered views on key innovation areas and opportunities for the new EU Bioeconomy Strategy.

Participants indicated as priorities:

1. Progress in biotechnology and agriculture – 69%.
2. Applications of the bioeconomy beyond the medical and food sectors – 68%
3. Sustainable biomaterials alternative to plastics – 59%.
4. Advanced biofuels and sustainable energy solutions – 50%.