Commission launches new Bioeconomy Strategy to drive green growth, competitiveness and resilience across Europe
- Rural Pact
- Rural Revitalisation Platform
- Bioeconomy & circular economy
- Nature and environment
- Entrepreneurship
- Prosperous rural areas
- Resilient rural areas
On 27 November 2025, the European Commission adopted a new Bioeconomy Strategy setting out a plan to transition Europe toward a circular, nature-based economy. The Strategy opens new opportunities for jobs, innovation and sustainable development in rural territories.
Image by Parradee Kietsirikul on Canva
What’s in the Strategy?
Building on the 2012 strategy and its updates in 2018 and 2022, the new Strategy for a Competitive and Sustainable EU Bioeconomy will:
- Promote the resource-efficient, circular use of biomass from agriculture, forestry, fisheries and other biological resources;
- Support the scale-up and commercialisation of bio-based products and technologies – from sustainable materials and bioplastics, to bio-fertilisers, bio-based textiles, biochemicals and bioenergy;
- Create new jobs and income streams for farmers, foresters, SMEs and rural businesses by integrating rural actors into emerging bioeconomy value chains;
- Encourage public-private investment and innovation under a ‘Bio-based Europe Alliance’ to attract funding, boost competitiveness and enable the green transition.
Why it matters for rural areas
By valorising local biomass and natural resources, the bioeconomy can diversify rural economies beyond food production. New green jobs can stem from sustainable forestry, biomanufacturing, bio-based materials, and circular bio-based value chains. The Strategy offers rural entrepreneurs and communities fresh pathways to create value, revitalise local economies, and contribute to the EU’s climate and circularity goals.
Importantly, rural areas – often rich in forests, farmland, agricultural residues and other biological resources – can become structural pillars of Europe’s green transition. The Commission expects the bioeconomy to play a key role in achieving climate neutrality, reducing dependency on fossil materials, supporting ecosystem preservation, and fostering sustainable rural livelihoods.
Explore the latest Rural Pact resources on the topic of bioeconomy & circular economy.