The European Commission has today, November 27, adopted the new EU bioeconomy Strategy
(“A Strategic Framework for a Competitive and Sustainable EU Bioeconomy”).
The strategy aims to develop the bioeconomy to support green growth and resilience by utilizing
biological resources to decarbonize the economy, support economic prosperity, enhance circular
production and contribute to climate and environmental goals, while reducing reliance on imported
fossil-based products.
The Joint Research Centre (JRC) has contributed to the EU bioeconomy strategy through its
Knowledge Centre for Bioeconomy,
providing several key updates and tools that highlight the importance of the bioeconomy within the EU.
The main contributions from Unit D.4 are summarised below:
-
Updated Jobs and Wealth in the EU bioeconomy dataset:
According to our latest estimates, biomass-producing and manufacturing activities within the EU
bioeconomy created 17.1 million jobs in 2023, representing nearly 8% of total EU employment.
These activities also generated €863 billion in economic value added, accounting for 5.0% of the EU's GDP.
The related dashboards are available on both the
Knowledge Centre for Bioeconomy
and the Data-Modelling platform of resource economics – DataM.
The underlying raw data is also available for
query
and bulk download.
-
New dashboard and Science-for-Policy Brief published:
The JRC has developed a new dashboard on the
socioeconomic contributions of all sectors relevant to the bioeconomy
, including areas not previously covered, such as construction and
bioeconomy-related services.
Accompanying these dashboards, the JRC has released the Science-for-Policy brief
"
The EU Bioeconomy at a Glance: Focus on Economic Value Added, Employment and Innovation
".
This document highlights key figures on economic value added, employment, and R&D business expenditure
in bioeconomy-relevant sectors, and it is cited in the new EU Bioeconomy Strategy.
-
Report and dashboard on Bioeconomy patents:
The JRC has published the report
"
Patenting in the Bioeconomy: An analysis of trends and patterns in the EU
".
This report presents a patent-based indicator to measure the innovation output of the bioeconomy,
a key driver for the EU's transition to a sustainable and circular economy.
The results show that the share of bioeconomy patents in the EU patent portfolio is modest but significant,
with a mixed growth trend over the observed period (2008–2020). The proposed indicator could be a useful tool
for policymakers to monitor and promote the uptake of the bioeconomy in the EU and is coupled with a dedicated
dashboard on bioeconomy patents.
-
Modelling framework for the bioeconomy:
The JRC has also published the report
"
The EU bioeconomy towards 2040 - An exploratory baseline with a whole-economy, an agricultural and a bio-based industry model
".
This report summarises enhancements made with recognised (bioeconomy) economic modelling tools
(MAGNET and AGMEMOD/BioMAT) to better capture the nuances of bio-based markets and provides a plausible
medium-term baseline combining the strengths of the simulation models.
