Polski
The European Commission regularly publishes reports and reports summarizing progress in implementing established EU policies and directions. On January 13, 2023. A report on the blue bioeconomy in 2022 has been released. This is a summary of progress in algae and seaweed cultivation. This activity is one of the EU-supported developments to prevent climate change by fixingCO2 and to be a source of nutrients with a low carbon footprint. The EU’s Farm to Table policy explicitly identifies aquaculture as a strategic direction for food production. A sustainable blue economy in the European Union is one of the elements of the Green Deal.
The EU report on the blue bioeconomy was prepared by EUMOFA (European Market Observatory for Fisheries and Aquaculture Products), one of the specialized institutions supporting the EC’s activities. Aquaculture reports are published every two years.
The main conclusions of the analysis of the micro and macroalgae production market indicate that the activity in this area is carried out on a small scale. Europe’s potential for algae production development is high, as some 36% of the industry’s players are based on our continent. However, the scale of this activity is small due to low technological maturity. Most of these companies are small start-ups. However, it is clear that digitization of production guidance will be important in the bioeconomy. Technologically, Europe is ready to introduce the blue bioeconomy on a large scale.
The main problems associated with algae cultivation relate to inconsistent procedures for obtaining the relevant permits, but also to the still considerable gap in knowledge about aquaculture crops. Currently, EU seaweed production is less than 0.25% of the world harvest. In order to raise Europe’s importance in the world and at the same time ensure sustainable production, it is necessary to take care of the stability and predictability of algae harvesting. This involves the transfer of knowledge, as well as the introduction of regulatory relief. Shaping demand for blue bioeconomy products in the EU market will also be important. The report shows that there is still a lot of work to be done at the EU level to make the aquaculture business grow faster. Working in this direction should bring many global benefits.
