From July 2024, Hungary took over the rotating Presidency of the Council of the European Union, whose role is to coordinate the Council’s cooperation. The Hungarian presidency has set the goal of reconciling economic growth and environmental sustainability, especially in the field of the biomass-based economy. In order to achieve these objectives, the Hungarian government has proposed the adoption of a new European competitiveness pact aimed at relaunching economic growth and creating the conditions for sustainable growth, deepening the internal market, supporting small and medium-sized enterprises, and promoting green and digital transition. The proposal for a new biomass economy research partnership is also part of this broader context, which is to be presented in Brussels on 4 July and launched in early 2028, with a particular focus on Central and Eastern Europe and the Balkans.
The aim is for countries in the region to utilise their existing resources better while modernizing outdated production and processing facilities. This partnership could be part of the Horizon Europe research programme or work under a similar mechanism to the Mediterranean Research and Innovation Partnership (PRIMA), which brings together 19 countries around the Mediterranean to promote research cooperation in water management, agriculture, energy, and food production.
The 2024 calls for proposals of the Circular Bio-based Europe Joint Undertaking (CBE JU) are closely aligned with the objectives of the Hungarian Presidency. The calls, launched in April 2024, have a total budget of €213 million and support a range of bio-based innovation projects that can contribute to achieving sustainability goals. These include:
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Bio-based Value Chains for Valorisation of Sustainable Oil Crops (€20 million)
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Bio-based Materials and Products for Biodegradable In-Soil Applications (€15 million)
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Sustainable microalgae as feedstock for innovative value-added applications (€15 million)
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Biotechnology-derived bio-based chemicals and materials to replace animal-derived materials (€7 million)
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Mobilising new forms of cooperation in the agriculture and forest-based sector (€4 million)
These calls will promote the development of a bioeconomy and support the use of innovative technologies and methods for sustainability and economic growth. For more details on Hungary’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union and their plans, please visit the official website at https://hungarian-presidency.consilium.europa.eu/en/presidency/hungarian-presidency/. For more details on these and other open calls, please visit the CBE JU's official website at https://www.cbe.europa.eu/open-calls-proposals.