Final general assembly of Biocircularcities partners

On 27 September 2023, the Biocircularcities project partners gathered in Brussels for the first day of the general assembly. The event took place at the ACR+ offices and brought together all consortium members, with the first day focusing on a summary of the main results and progress of the project. The session started with a presentation of the general objectives and the importance of the meeting, the activities of the last period were presented as well as the plans for the project completion in December 2023, this part of the event was led by – Karin Meisterl and Marco Crabu from the ENT. Subsequent sessions of the event focused on the specific work packages of the project. Current tasks and challenges were discussed, including work packages such as dissemination and communication, sustainability of supply chains in the circular bioeconomy, analysis of the regulatory framework in the circular bioeconomy and policy recommendations, and opportunities for transfer and replication of activities in other international cases.

On the following day, 28 September, the Final Closing Conference of the Biocircularcities Project was held. The main focus of the final conference was the progress and future activities in each of the three pilot areas: Metropolitan Area of Barcelona, Metroplitan City of Naples and Province of Pazardzhik. The representatives of the pilot regions shared their achievements and results on organic waste management and supply chains in the bioeconomy. The event attracted not only project members but also external participants and partners. The residues chain from the Bulgarian region includes waste wood from forestry and alternatives for its use. It was presented by Georgi Simeonov, Head of the Regional Energy Agency of Pazardzhik, a partner in the project.

During this day, Mrs. Francoise Bonnet, President of ACR+ (Association of Cities and Regions for sustainable Resource management), congratulated and politely welcomed the participants. The next presentation was by the European Commission’s monitoring representative, Ms Luisa Mascia, who presented the common funding programme and stressed the importance of research projects such as Biocircularcities. The conference continued with an interesting roundtable discussing barriers and solutions to unlocking the local and circular bioeconomy. Participants were invited to give their opinions and ideas, making the meeting more dynamic and interactive.

The morning session ended with a summary of the event by ACR+. The next event was the “Biocircularcities Agora” where the different projects and initiatives in the field of bioeconomy were presented. Participants had the opportunity to view some of the different activities, posters and tools related to other projects in the field of the circular bioeconomy.

Recording of the Final Project Conference can be found here.

For more information on the Biocircularcities project and the final event of the project, please visit the following link: biocircularcities.eu/biocircularcities-unlocked-the-brussels-stop