Berlin, 11/11/09. The bio-economy will feature strongly in the new government’s research policy. In their coalition pact, ‘Growth. Education. Cohesion’, the coalition parties – CDU, CSU and FDP – have made it clear that both the bio-economy and the BioEconomyCouncil will have important roles to play in the in the 17th legislative period.

‘With the support of the BioEconomyCouncil we will develop and implement a strategy for a knowledge-based and internationally competitive bio-economy,’ reads section II.2 of ‘Science and Research’.

The coalition pact also contains a number of statements about areas relevant to the bio-economy, such as agricultural policy and energy production from biomass. The competitiveness of national biofuel production, for example, will be maintained from the standpoint of taxation as well. The aim is to achieve a tax-based subsidy for research and development, which will provide further stimulus for small and medium-sized firms in particular. With regard to the conversion of biomass into electricity, the pact states that organic waste materials should be given greater consideration than renewable raw materials.

Nature conservation, including the protection of areas of water, is highlighted in relation to rural development. There are also proposals for an improvement in the support of the relevant regions. Animal protection and animal health also have their own sections in the pact, as do the dairy industry and European agriculture.

The new German government further acknowledges the great importance of consumer protection with regard to food safety. The aim here is to improve transparency and information so as to increase quality consciousness along the producer–consumer chain. This can be achieved by an improvement in labelling, but also by enforcing existing law.

The pact identifies climate protection as a major challenge, but also as an opportunity for the development and marketing of new technologies. Germany will extend her technological leadership in renewable energies. Overall the pact promises an increase in new products, services and technologies as part of the federal government’s high-tech strategy in the new legislative period, and a strengthening of the dialogue between government and the people over the opportunities and challenges of future technologies. In this context, industrial biotechnology is one of many technological areas cited.

Contact:

Dr. Andreas Möller
Pressesprecher BioÖkonomieRat
Tel. +49 (0)30-2063096-91
moeller@biooekonomierat.de