On 28 May 2020, the second BIOEASTsUP webinar took placed designed for national stakeholders from the BIOEAST countries – members of inter ministerial groups and national stakeholders groups – alias “mirror groups”.
The main goal of the BIOEASTsUP project is to support the BIOEAST Initiative in the national bioeconomy strategy development, promotion of bioeconomy in public strategies and public support programs. BIOEAST Initiative formed five Thematic Working Groups focused on agroecology, bioenergy and biomaterials, water, food and forestry.
Bioeconomy is still a relatively new economic sector in many countries of Central and Eastern Europe and therefore also unexploited area. There is a strong need to provide trainings for representatives of public administration, research organizations, civil society organisations and business sectors. BIOEASTsUP project launched 5 webinars on the 21st May 2020, more will take place in June and July 2020.
The second webinar presented the importance of the interministerial groups and the involvement of the wide range of national stakeholders into the national stakeholders groups. The good practice of establishing an interministerial working group was presented by Mario Plešej from the Slovenian Ministry of Agriculture (also partner in the BIOEASTsUP project). The Slovenian government supports the bioeconomy development in Slovenia and decided to set up an interministerial group in November 2019 under the broader aim of decarbonising the Slovenian economy and society by way of transition to sustainable and circular economy. The Slovenian Ministry of Environment, together with eight other Slovenian ministries, enhances the interministerial dialogue about the development of sustainable and circular economy and bioeconomy in Slovenia.
The good practice of the organisation of national stakeholder groups was presented by Marie Kubankova from the Czech Republic. The BIOeconomic HUB CR (www. bio-hub.cz) was established in the beginning of 2020 and it brings together organizations of the for-profit and non-profit sector, research organizations, technological platforms interested in bioeconomy. BIO HUB CZ is organised in working groups that reflects both BIOEAST thematic working groups and also stakeholders´ needs.