EU’s new Bioeconomy Strategy aims to ensure EU competitiveness and security of supply
On 27 November 2025, the European Commission published a new Bioeconomy Strategy, which replaces the strategy from 2018. The strategy provides a framework for a competitive and sustainable EU bioeconomy, with the objective of reducing dependency on fossil raw materials and raising the degree of processing and value added of EU bio-based products. The core of the strategy is to boost the development of bio-based products and to accelerate their wide-spread introduction.
The Commission’s policies focus on four main points:
- scaling up innovations and investments
- creating new markets for bio-based materials and technologies
- ensuring the supply of sustainable biomass
- harnessing global cooperation and opportunities
A strategy supporting the EU’s competitiveness was keenly anticipated by Finland.
"The strategy will generate opportunities for diversifying business in rural areas, for creating jobs and developing value chains based on local resources. The status of primary producers must be strengthened during the implementation,” says Minister of Agriculture and Forestry Sari Essayah.
The strategy shifts the focus towards industrial deployment, market scale-up, competitiveness and resilience.
“The Commission’s new strategy will simplify regulation and speed up permit processing so that taking bio-based innovations to the market will be less burdensome. Clear EU-level practices, such as regulatory sandboxes and technical support for SMEs, will contribute to a predictable operating environment that boosts competitiveness,” says Minister of Economic Affairs Sakari Puisto.
“Finland has strong potential for developing bio-based products responsibly. This is an advantage for our companies in the international competition. For example, the use of biogenic carbon dioxide as part of the hydrogen economy will accelerate the clean transition, improve our self-sufficiency and promote the achievement of climate targets,” says Minister of Climate and the Environment Sari Multala.
The strategy will not introduce new regulations; instead, it will ensure that measures in different EU sectors support common goals without contradicting each other. The Commission intends to set up new instruments, such as working groups, to give the bioeconomy a more prominent role in EU policy. The new strategy is also seen as a response to the challenges facing security of supply in the EU.
The bioeconomy covers diverse activities ranging from agriculture to the processing of forest biomass into materials and products as well as the use of biotechnology. The new strategy will support the EU’s strategic autonomy and climate objectives and strengthen resource efficiency and biodiversity.
Inquiries:
Ulla Palander, Senior Specialist, Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment, tel. +358 29 504 9235
Anne Vehviläinen, Senior Adviser, Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, tel. +358 295 162 236
