1. Barna Kovacs BIOEAST Secretary General Brussels, 05 January 2019
International cooperation in research and innovation for the future European forest-based sector
The BIOEAST Initiative and the Forestry Working Group
Barna Kovacs
BIOEAST Secretary General
Brussels, 05 January 2019

2. BIOEAST Initiative Central-Eastern European Initiative for
Knowledge-based Agriculture, Forestry and Aquaculture in the Bioeconomy
Shared strategic research and innovation framework for working towards the development of a sustainable bioeconomy in the Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries.
Why BIOEAST: Low performance of knowledge-based agriculture, aquaculture and forestry in the bioeconomy, significant internal disparities in terms of research and innovation performance, and low participation of CEE region in H2020.
Aquaculture

3. BIOEAST macro-region Baltics: Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania
Central-Eastern Europe (Visegrad 4):
Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia
South-Eastern Europe:
Bulgaria, Croatia, Romania, Slovenia

4. The pushing factors (outside) are calling for: strategic thinking at national level
To solve „food first” issues
To ensure sustainable yields
To have cascading approach for biomass use
To secure circularity
To sustain the diversity of production systems

5. The (internal) national level factors not necessary pushing for complex strategic thinking
Lack of societal understanding and participation in addressing challenges
Traditional knowledge transfer process
Sector based, parallel processes (ex. agro-food sector)
Often missing evidence based policy-making
Market driven economy (mostly profit driven, some times technology driven, but less governance)
Missing macro-regional approach for the sustainability (economic, environmental, societal)

6. OBJECTIVES of the macroregional BIOEAST Initiative:
Initiate cooperation: establish a multi-stakeholder network to facilitate joint actions;
Provide an evidence base: establish data-driven support for implementation of policies;
Support strategies: create the cross-sectorial approach for the development of a national circular and bioeconomy strategies;
Focus on research: map specific challenges for a Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda;
Improve skills: train a new generation of dedicated multi-stakeholder actors;
Develop synergies: promote regional, national, EU and international funding opportunities;
Increase visibility: draw attention to specific challenges of the CEE regions.

7. Three political agreements of the Agri Ministers
26. October 2016: VISEGRAD 4 Group + 3 Countries: on stronger inclusion into H2020
21. September 2017: VISEGRAD 4 Group + 4 Countries: on broadening the remit of the BIOEAST initiative beyond HORIZON 2020
13. June 2018: VISEGRAD 4 Group + 7 countries (V4: Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia and Bulgaria, Croatia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovenia): on the Vision for BIOEAST

8. BIOEAST mission
I. to assist Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries to operationalise their Vision for 2030 drawing on their potential and offering opportunities for:
1. A sustainable increase of biomass production, to become competitive and leading, high quality, food and feed producers worldwide;
2. A circular (“zero waste”) processing of the available biomass, to become key players in the development of new bio-based value chains;
3. Viable rural areas: to develop an innovative, inclusive, climate-ready and inclusive growth model;

9. Intervention logic of the BIOEAST Vision
Challenges
What is hindering?
Scope
Where to focus?
Goal
What is the aim?
Level
Where to act?
Objectives
How to overcome?
Actions
What to do?
C1. Research and Innovation deadlock
C2. Stalemate in the bio-based value chains
C3. Governance impasse
C4. Societal indifference
C5. Financial barriers
S1. Strategic thinking in bioeconomy
S 2. Quality Food and Feed for Europe and for the World
S 3. Industrial boost for rural areas
G1. Productivity: Sustainable increase of biomass production;
G2. Sustainability: Developing biodiversity and biosecurity;
G3. Resource efficiency: Circular and value- added use of the available biomass;
G 2.2. Rural development: Increasing the viability and attractiveness of rural areas and society
L1. Macro- regional
L2. National
L3. Regional and local
O 1. To develop strategies;
O 2. To cooperate and develop evidence-based policies;
O 3. To identify common challenges and validate common research areas;
O 4. To provide an evidence base;
O 5. To improve skills;
O 6. To develop synergies;
O 7. To increase visibility;
Further develop specific objectives
Develop BIOEAST SRIA
Start to implement the action plan of BIOEAST SRIA based on the objectives

10. Next Steps
8. November 2018 BIOEAST conference: national-policies-conference
3 Studies: available on the webpage containing data and state of play of CEE bioeconomies
2. BIOEAST CSA call in HORIZON 2020 WP2019
3. Establishing Thematic Working Groups
4. Macro-regional Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda (SRIA) for addressing the goals and challenges of the Initiative

11. Agricultural land abandonment:
EU is expected to continue at a rate of 0.2% in utilised agricultural area (UAA) per year until Literature not clear about situation in BIOEAST countries
Yield development :
Production of major crops is expected to increase significantly in BIOEAST countries, almost entirely through increased yields (e.g., for wheat and maize, increases of 15% and 50% respectively are projected for 2026).
For instance Global yield gap atlas explains the difference between actual yields and agro-climatically achievable yields in the same region. For the BIOEAST countries, several examples underpin the existing gap from the north-western EU countries.
Residues:
Potential from forestry and agroforestry residues could be further exploited.
Animal production:
Higher productivity through an improved input/output ratio would therefore require less feedstock (available for other uses)

12. Low shares of turnover in the total EU-28 bioeconomy
BIOEAST macro-region
Low shares of turnover in the total EU-28 bioeconomy
High shares in employment (mainly in the primary sectors)
Biomass-rich region with traditionally high importance of primary sectors agriculture, forestry and fishery
Unused and underutilised biomass potentials
Insufficient infrastructure, missing links between industries
Position of the BIOEAST macro-region in the EU-28 bioeconomy involved in SCAR study: State of play of Central and Eastern Europe´s bioeconomies

13. Source: Nova Institute, 2018

15. Analysing the potential: Jobs in an economic context
Bioeconomy employment multipliers
(persons per million €)
Location quotients (job concentration) for the bioeconomy
Source: Mainar, 2017
Source: Ronzon, 2018

16. BIOEAST region and the Forestry sector
Forests in the BIOEAST macro-region cover an area of
37.8 million hectares, i.e. 34 % of the total land surface
Forest cover in the BIOEAST region is about 23 % of the EU total forest area
30.1 million hectares are considered as forests available for wood supply
Importance of sawmilling and cascade use of wood for wood products manufacturing and energy is clearly visible (material uses of wood grew at a rate nearly four times as high as that for the EU as a whole, while energy uses grew 30 % slower) Some aspects of the forest-based bioeconomy in the BIOEAST region – JRC Research brief

17. Energy use of wood, has grown slower then that for the whole EU
Woody biomass flows in the BIOEAST region for 2015 (JRC)
The sawmill industry is the largest industry user and the main supplier of by-products
The industry use of wood has grown much faster then that for the EU as a whole ( )
Energy use of wood, has grown slower then that for the whole EU

18. Net trade in BIOEAST region 2009-2015 (JRC)

19. CEE forestry sector challenges
CEE Forestry sector is well linked with the concept of sustainability, but needs to further open towards a cross-sectoral, new value-chain approach to be a proactive player in the bioeconomy
The „decarbonization” narrative in the climate-change discussion and the link to it of the forestry sector in the CEE still need to be discussed and developed.
Currently the forest-based sector in CEE is characterized by Complexity and Fragmentation
A shift from purely national, monodisciplinary research funding towards inter- and transdisciplinary research programmes is a big change for the CEE macro- region
There is a need for policy coordination to apply coherent and specific approach within CEE macro-region
To bridge the current gaps in the knowledge a better integration of political and socio-economic sciences are needed

20. and this feature is present throughout all supply chain categories
It can be seen that there are very few collaboration ties with Eastern European countries; and this feature is present throughout all supply chain categories.
It can be seen that there are very few collaboration ties with Eastern European countries;
and this feature is present throughout all supply chain categories

22. The need for BIOEAST Forestry Working Group
To bridge the current gaps in the knowledge a better contribution of economics, social and political sciences are needed
Public-private partnerships and improved science-policy-public interface are crucial for both knowledge generation and successful implementation of actions
Participatory approaches are platforms for awareness raising and capacity building
Reduced fragmentation, created synergies and complementarities between sectors and countries, added value to regional national and EU investments maximise the underutilized potential of the CEE macro-region acting together at macro-regional level and, to a wider extent, at EU level

23. BIOEAST Forestry Working Group (BFWG)
BFWG communication channels establishment
(Mai – September 2018)
Slovak Ministry of Agriculture take up the coordination of the BFWG
(September – October 2018)
BFWG Kick-off meeting, BFWG ToR draft, nomination procedures
(Brussels, October 2nd, 2018)
BFWG presentation during BIOEAST conference „Bioeconomy in the forefront of national policies, BFWG final ToR
(Budapest, November 8, 2018)
BFWG active participation to FTP Conference 2018 Vision 2040: The future role of the forest bioeconomy in Europe, FTP + SCAR interlinks
(Vienna, November 20, 2018)

24. BIOEAST Thematic Working Group
1. Forestry value chain
Name (Abbreviation)
Bioeast Forestry Working Group (BFWG)
Kick-off
02 October 2018
Coordinator
Slovakia (MARD SK and National Forest Centre Zvolen)
Members – ministries
CZ, EE, HU, LT, LV, SK
Members – research institutes
BG, CZ, EE, HU, HR, LT, LV, RO, SI, SK
Number of memebers 21
Coordinator Contacts
Ministry:
Weldesenbet Tesfu
Research Institute:
Tomáš Bucha
Ingrid Kriššáková

25. Thank you for your attention. www. bioeast
Thank you for your attention! Barna Kovacs PhD Secretary General