Periodic Reporting for period 1 - BibeConf (Partnering for the Future Hungarian EU Presidency Conference)
Reporting period: 2024-10-01 to 2025-03-31
The Hungarian Presidency plan foresaw also the organization of a high-level conference intended to convene policymakers, researchers, and stakeholders to explore Central and Eastern Europe’s (CEE) role in advancing sustainable soil and water resilience, food system security, and bioeconomy-related policies.
The Partnering for the Future: ‘BIOEAST and Beyond’ conference, held from December 4-6, 2024, in Budapest, was organized by the Hungarian Presidency of the Council of the EU, in collaboration with the European Commission, Standing Committee on Agricultural Research (SCAR) and the BIOEAST Initiative. The event aimed to promote a new pan-European research and innovation agenda focusing on Central and Eastern Europe, including the Western Balkans and Eastern Partnership countries.The event was attended by more than 300 participants and generated interesting and progressive discussions about future challanges and promising opportunities. As a result, further dialogues are expected in the coming years that can lead to the setting of the foundations for a new reasearch and innovation initaitive to enhance CEE’s contribution to the European bioeconomy.
By addressing systemic challenges and advancing innovative approaches, the "BIOEAST and Beyond" conference laid the foundation for a resilient, sustainable, and inclusive European Research Area open to all in Europe while focusing on specific needs of a wider macro-region. Further high level science-policy debates together with political decisons will be crucial in translating the achievements of the initiative into actionable outcomes.