Commissioner Roswall's keynote speech at the Bioeconomy Stakeholder Dialogue

European Commission -Speech [Check Against Delivery] Commissioner Roswall's keynote speech at the Bioeconomy Stakeholder Dialogue Brussels, 16 May 2025 Ladies and gentlemen, let me wish you a warm welcome and thank you for being here today. I've been looking forward to this dialogue. The bioeconomy is one of those topics that brings the various strands of my portfolio nicely together. Europe will not be able to face the challenges in today's world without a strong European economy. We will not be able to bring our citizens, in cities and especially in rural areas, on board, if they don't have new perspectives and opportunities. Yet, in the few months since I have been European Commissioner I have learnt so much more about how broad and exciting the bioeconomy is. I have seen how a car interior can look just like plastics or leather but be made 100% out of bio-based materials. I have learnt about bio-pesticides, and enzymes that have the potential to replace many of our traditional, non-biodegradable products. I visited farmers who were excited about biogas not just in Sweden or Finland, but also just a few kilometres from here, in Flanders. I also met with some stakeholders who raised the importance of the blue bioeconomy, including algae, and the need to use waste as a resource in the bioeconomy. All the people I met told me about the opportunities they see: Europe, with its strong focus on biobased and sustainable materials, is the place to be for...