Regional Peer Dialogue on Circular Bioeconomy

The meeting gathered government and non-government stakeholders from the Western Balkans, OECD and EU member states to explore the role of the circular bioeconomy in driving the green transition.

Leveraging its extensive experience in supporting green and circular economy policies, the OECD – with support of the Italian government – is strengthening the implementation of regional green strategies and enabling regional dialogue through capacity building and sharing of best practices.

The regional peer dialogue meeting provided an opportunity to:

• Drive knowledge sharing: Facilitating discussions on the principles, latest innovations, and the transformative impact of the circular bioeconomy on the green and circular transition.
• Discuss policy solutions: Exploring policy recommendations to advance a balanced  and circular use of biomass in two main sectors: agriculture and food systems, and bio-based industrial production and innovation.
• Strengthen regional collaboration: Fostering partnerships between public and private sector actors across the region and with the OECD peers to drive circular bioeconomy initiatives.
• Enable hands-on learning: A study visit exposing policy makers to real-world examples of successful business-academia partnerships in the circular bioeconomy, with insights from EU and OECD peer countries.

Embracing the cascading use of biomass within the circular bioeconomy can fuel economic growth and boost innovation, while at the same time addressing climate change, resource scarcity, and biodiversity loss. For the Western Balkans, adopting circular bioeconomy principles presents a unique chance to build a climate- and nature- positive economy, especially as:

• The agricultural sector accounts for 11% of total GHG emissions.
• Soil erosion affects ~30% of agricultural land and 45% of total land.
•  Bio-waste makes up 26-58% of municipal waste, often untreated and landfilled, losing its potential for bio-based product development.

Despite increasing recognition of the circular bioeconomy’s value in strategic documents, many Western Balkan economies lack a cohesive approach. Progress is slowed by weak institutional co-ordination, limited capacities, and insufficient stakeholder engagement, hindering long-term policy implementation and private sector initiatives.

By reforming policy and legal frameworks, the region can sustainably use biological resources from agriculture, forestry, fisheries, and bio-based industries. Aligning with EU environmental directives and goals in this area can help revitalise local economies by enhancing competitiveness and sustainability in key sectors like agrifood, forestry, bio-based industry and renewable energy.

Agenda

Presentations

Speakers Brochure

Photos

Jovana Pavlovic Djukic, Team Leader, OECD South East Europe Division, Jovana.PAVLOVICDJUKIC@oecd.org

Dafina Marashi, Junior Policy Analyst, OECD South East Erurope Division, Dafina.MARASHI@oecd.org