Comments of BIO Deutschland on the EU Biotech Act "aimed at transforming our economy into a bioeconomy"

Biotechnology is nature’s toolbox and gives humankind vital room to manoeuvre. It has the potential to provide transformational solutions for the challenges of today and tomorrow.

Biotechnology thus serves as a bridge between biological discoveries and real-world innovations and is playing an increasingly important role in many areas, such as medicine (diabetes, cancer and rheumatoid arthritis drugs), the environment (sewage treatment plants, detergents), climate change (CO2-neutral production), raw materials (degradable bioplastics) and energy (biokerosene). The technology’s sustainability is contingent on the use of biological production processes and on the CO2-neutral extraction and conversion of renewable raw materials.

In order to leverage the power of biotechnology, the EU Biotech Act must strengthen Europe’s global position in the development of this strategic technology through an ambitious, cross-sectoral approach. In doing so, the EU Biotech Act should further bolster the effectiveness and impact of EU initiatives such as the Life Sciences and Biotechnology Strategy, the Bioeconomy Strategy, and the Clean Industrial Deal.

In particular, the EU Biotech Act provides a pathway to:

• Strengthen value chains, from R&D to end users, so that groundbreaking advances from European research benefit Europe’s economy and its citizens.
• Create coherent regulatory pathways so that Europe is a priority destination for both domestic and global innovation.
• Build an innovation ecosystem that features high-quality, skilled jobs and resilient global value chains in all Member States.

The EU Biotech Act should address four pillars that reflect European ambitions in terms of competitiveness, sustainability, health and strategic autonomy.