Sustainable regional bioenergy policies: a game changer

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With the objective of the transition to a low carbon economy, some countries and regions in Europe are developing energy and land use policies in separate ways by different administrations. To improve the energy sector in balance with the natural resource a challenge is to work on bridging those conflicting views and policies. BIO4ECO aims to improve regional and national policy processes and policy implementation and delivery addressing the transition to a low carbon economy, in relation with renewable energy use, energy efficiency of building, and forest and agricultural biomass. The main expected outcomes are: increase the share of renewable energy in the overall energy mix (17 M€ of ERDF funding benefited by the project), take into account bioenergy and bioeconomy in all planning and decision-making, and lay the groundwork for future integrated strategies and programmes for regional bioeconomy and carbon neutrality. BIO4ECO will organise interregional and local learning process by thematic workshops, study visits and local stakeholder groups meetings, to achieve a greater integration among the lessons learned. Each partner will base their Action Plan on their current and expected policy challenges, and will integrate the lessons learned throughout the project with these exchange activities. In the case of bioenergy policies, there is a strong multi-sectorial element, and Action Plans will take into consideration policy areas where partners have direct legal competence, and other areas where they have shared legal competence and will have to coordinate with other departments/administrations. This is a very important aspect of this project as many policy challenges linked to the regional development of bioenergy strategies are indeed the legislating across policy areas.

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