Networking the Bioeconomy across Germany
At the NRW Ministry of Economics in Düsseldorf on March 30, relevant stakeholders from the German federal states discussed how the bioeconomy can become a successful model for Germany across the federal states.
The bioeconomy is the responsibility of several federal ministries, but no overarching coherent bioeconomy policy exists yet. Therefore, improved horizontal coordination and the coordination of bioeconomy-relevant political decisions at federal level are important levers to realise the German bioeconomy strategy and implement it with effective measures.
With the aim of exchanging knowledge and experience, pooling synergies and jointly exploiting the potential of the bioeconomy, the Bioeconomy Council of the German Federal Government 2022 has set up its own exchange format with stakeholders at federal state level. Within the framework of this format, representatives of various state initiatives met again on 30 March at the invitation of the Bioeconomy Council in the Düsseldorf Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Protection for an exchange.
The participants were welcomed by the North Rhine-Westphalian Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection, Mona Neubaur, who emphasised the importance of the bioeconomy for a climate-neutral industry in her virtual speech. This was followed by a discussion on the question of how activities and measures in the context of the bioeconomy can be even better coordinated at state and federal level. The cooperation and exchange on these and other topics is to be expanded and consolidated in further meetings.
Daniela Thrän, Co-Chair of the Bioeconomy Council, said in the run-up to the event: "The bioeconomy can be the key to reducing dependence on fossil raw materials, reducing waste and enabling the transition to a viable circular economy through the responsible use of biological resources. North Rhine-Westphalia as well as other federal states show us that the implementation of the bioeconomy is already in full swing. In order for the bioeconomy to become a 'success story' for Germany as a whole, we need to transfer these good approaches to the area, adapt them or expand them with further activities."
Further information on the activities of the Bioeconomy Council and the federal states can be found here: Data, Facts, Responsibilities: Where does the bioeconomy stand in the federal states?