Solutions through innovation – What role for the bioeconomy in the next MFF?

On Tuesday 22 May 2018, Miapetra Kumpula-Natri MEP, Chair of the “Bioeconomy” Working Group of the European Parliament Intergroup on“Climate Change, Biodiversity and Sustainable Development” hosted the event in the European Parliament on: “Solutions through innovation – What role for the bioeconomy in the next MFF?”.

The European Union is at a crossroad. While it needs to define the allocation of its financial resources and overarching priorities beyond 2020, a number of undertakings initiated under the current term will also extend and develop over the next one. The further development and expansion of the circular bioeconomy is one of them, which was the focus on this event where the following key questions were discussed:

• How will the next Multi-Annual Financial Framework provide for enough dedicated resources for innovation and the bioeconomy?
• To what extent will the next EU framework programme (FP9) allocate the relevant space and means to biomass producers and bio-based industries to further develop innovative solutions to key societal challenges such as climate change and delivery of the UN SDGs?
• Can a mission-oriented Research and Innovation policy for the EU embrace and recognise the merits of the circular bioeconomy and make it evolve “from niche to norm”?
• Will the EU Bioeconomy Strategy and Action Plan currently under revision capitalize on its successes so far to further boost bio-based solutions for a more sustainable and competitive European economy?