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On 1 October 2018, Finland, Portugal and Spain have announced further collaboration on Bioeconomy, and more especially in the Blue Bioeconomy sector.
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The declaration was published after Finland’s Prime Minister, Juha Sipilä, met Portugal and Spain’s heads of government, António Costa and Pedro Sánchez, as part of his tour of the EU member states in preparation for Finland’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union.
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Excerpt from the Declaration
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We recognize that social and economic development depends on the sustainable management of our planet’s natural resources, as stated in the UN 2030 Agenda and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals. We understand that the global challenges like climate change and growing population seek for new ways of producing and consuming in order to respect the sustainable boundaries of our planet. The precondition for successful bioeconomy lies in the sustainable use of ecosystem services. It calls for systemic changes as stated in the European bioeconomy strategy. We see that bioeconomy is a powerful policy instrument, which paves the way for achieving climate and energy targets for 2020 and for 2030 and beyond, towards a carbon neutral society. We see that intensifying the collaboration in bioeconomy between the Northern and Southern parts of Europe is crucial in order to unlock the full potential of the European bioeconomy, creating jobs and promoting competitiveness. Finland, Portugal and Spain wish to enhance their collaboration and complementarity especially in the fields of Blue Bioeconomy, circular bioeconomy, ecosystem services, and R&D activities.
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Blue bioeconomy
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The EU Blue Bioeconomy Roadmap will identify the sector’s future regulatory, research, financial assistance and product needs. It will identify critical enablers and the blockages that need to be removed to ensure further development in the market. We recognize the growing importance of aquatic-based services and products and their potential for developing business based on the sustainable and s mart us e of renewable aquatic natural resources.
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We have recognized the common action areas in blue bioeconomy as follows:
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- Water technology and know-how, including recycling and the re-use of water in industrial processes and communities.
- Offshore farming of marine and freshwater resources.
- Aquaculture production on land, including technology for closing the loops.
- Offshore energy production (wind and wave energy) and related industrial symbiosis.
- Value creation from marine biomass and freshwater biomasses
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Further reading:
http://www.lamoncloa.gob.es/presidente/actividades/Paginas/2018/041018-finlandia.aspx
http://dailyfinland.fi/national/7326/Finland-Spain-Portugal-boost-bio-economy-cooperation