The Interreg Euro-MED Innovative Sustainable Economy (ISE) Mission participated Circular Economy Stakeholder Dialogue held on 10 April in Brussels. The discussions fed into the main EU Green Week conference, which took place from 3 to 5 June.
With a renewed sense of urgency, EU leaders, civil society, industry, and youth representatives gathered at the European Circular Economy Stakeholder Platform (ECESP) Dialogue to push the circular transition beyond planning and into practice.
This year’s Dialogue spotlighted the Clean Industrial Deal, financing circular innovation, and accelerating the bioeconomy within the EU’s strategic autonomy ambitions.
“Stop drafting roadmaps and start working the road”
Opening the day, Oliver Röpke, President of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC), set the tone: “We need real actions, not more debates. Circularity must become the new norm.” He echoed calls to move beyond regulatory inertia and instead unlock opportunities for all stakeholders, with the next five years seen as critical for scaling up.
William Neale, Circular Economy Adviser in the Environment Directorate-General of the European Commission (EC), presented the Clean Industrial Deal (CID) as a practical complement to the Green Deal. Structured around six chapters — including strategic value chains, product design, and waste reduction — the CID repositions circularity as a key driver of competitiveness. The CID will also align with tools such as the Circular Economy Act, Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) reforms, and potentially new Circular Hubs to support implementation.
Luis Planas Herrera, Member of the Cabinet of Commissioner Jessika Roswall, highlighted the Competitiveness Compass as a tool for transformative change. Jessika Roswall, Commissioner for Environment, Water Resilience and a Competitive Circular Economy, reaffirmed the EU’s continued prioritisation of packaging waste reduction and bioeconomy development.
Investing in innovation and SMEs
In a high-level panel on investment and finance, speakers delivered a consistent message: SMEs and innovators must be at the centre of circular funding instruments. Véronique Willems (SME United) noted that 99% of European businesses are SMEs, many of which still struggle to navigate fragmented support tools. She called for simplified access and greater visibility of funding.
Emmanuel Chaponnière, Head of Division for Circular Economy and Sustainable Development at the European Investment Bank (EIB), showcased new equity tools and funds to support clean tech scale-ups. David Fitzsimons, Director of the European Remanufacturing Council, warned that without improvements in labour efficiency, remanufacturing would stall despite its sustainability potential. He called for genuine investment incentives, not merely symbolic eco-design rules.
Bioeconomy as a solution space
Emmanuelle Maire, Head of the Circular Economy, Sustainable Production and Consumption Unit at DG Environment (EC), outlined the updated EU Bioeconomy Strategy, with a key message: bioeconomy is not a sector, but a solution space.
A vibrant roundtable highlighted the need to standardise data, reduce siloed governance, and incentivise bioproducts such as bioplastics and algae-based materials. Municipal Waste Europe and the Irish EPA stressed the importance of closing biowaste loops and safely unlocking animal feed potential. Participants called for a clear definition of bioeconomy, its integration into education, and promotion through public procurement and market incentives.
Policy coherence and market readiness
Florian Flachenecker, Circular Economy Act Taskforce Leader at DG Environment (EC), previewed the upcoming Circular Economy Act, designed to reduce fragmentation and harmonise the market for recycled products across the EU.
In breakout discussions, stakeholders from Veolia, Plastics Europe, and EURATEX underlined the importance of market surveillance and regulatory coherence, particularly addressing the classification of recycled materials as “waste” and correcting price imbalances between virgin and secondary raw materials.
Youth voices and the future focus
Youth representatives from the ESDN and Generation Climate Europe posed challenging questions around political will, urging that the bioeconomy and circularity be grounded in sufficiency, not just green growth. Ideas ranged from transversal circular indicators in the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), to the establishment of regional transition brokers, and a stronger emphasis on a Wellbeing Economy.
Key takeaways:
- Implementation is now the bottleneck — not vision or ambition.
- A shift towards investment, education, and regulatory clarity is urgent.
- Circularity must be made profitable and accessible — especially for SMEs and local actors.
- The next five years will determine whether Europe leads or lags in building a competitive, circular, and resilient economy.
Find all the recorded sessions and the report summarising the discussion.
