The European Green Deal sets out a plan to make Europe the first climate-neutral continent and achieve a green transition by 2050.

The Clean Planet Strategy recognises the bioeconomy as one of the key ways to achieve climate neutrality.

Taking into account economic, social and environmental aspects, the EU’s Bioeconomy Strategy has further emphasised the importance of national strategies in developing a sustainable, circular bioeconomy across Europe.

The bioeconomy encompasses all sectors and systems that rely on biological resources (animals, plants, microorganisms and biomass derived from these sources, including organic waste), their functions and principles.

It encompasses and interconnects terrestrial and marine ecosystems and their services, all primary production sectors that use and produce biological resources (agriculture, forestry, fisheries and aquaculture), and all economic and industrial sectors where biological resources and processes are used to produce food, feed, products derived from biological raw materials, energy and services.
 
In a narrow sense, the bioeconomy is defined as an innovative, low-carbon economy, whose goal is to ensure the sustainability of agriculture, fisheries and aquaculture, food security, and the sustainable use of renewable biological resources (biomass) in industry while simultaneously protecting biodiversity and the environment.

According to data from the European Commission[1], in 2022, the EU bioeconomy employed 17.21 million people (49.5% in the agriculture sector, 27.6% in the food, beverage and tobacco sector, 8.1% in the wood products and furniture sector, 4.1% in the textile sector, 3.6% in the paper sector, 2.9% in chemical and pharmaceutical products, plastics and rubber, 2.8% in the forestry sector, 0.9% in the fisheries and aquaculture sector, 0.2% in bio-based electricity, and 0.2% in liquid biofuels).

A total of EUR 820 billion in added value has been generated (33.4% in the food, beverage and tobacco sector, 28.6% in the agriculture sector, 12.5% in the chemical and pharmaceutical product, plastic and rubber sector, 8.7% in the wood and furniture sector, 7.3% in the paper sector, 3.6% in the forestry sector, 3.4% in the bio-based textile sector, 1% in bio-based electricity, 0.8% in fisheries and aquaculture, and 0.7% in liquid biofuels).

In 2022, the bioeconomy in the Republic of Croatia reached an added value of EUR 5 billion and employed 180,000 people (35.4% in the agriculture sector, 33.2% in the food, beverage and tobacco sector, 13.2% in the wood and furniture sector, 6.0% in the forestry sector, 5.0% in the bio-based textile sector, 2.8% in the paper sector, 2.3% in the chemical and pharmaceutical product, plastic and rubber sector, 2% in the fishery and aquaculture sector, and 0.1% in bio-based electricity).

In 2022, the Croatian bioeconomy reached a value added per employee of EUR 28,000, which is approximately half of the European Union average.

The Republic of Croatia makes up approximately 1% of the EU’s bioeconomy in terms of added value and employment.