CBE JU has established a dedicated three-year working group aimed at empowering primary producers to address opportunities offered by circular bio-based innovations and to face associated obstacles. The working group has the mandate to prepare and implement an action plan, which will propose actionable and practical solutions to address key challenges, such as the lack of awareness, limited integration in value chains, financial barriers and equitable benefit sharing.
The ultimate goals of this initiative are to:
Empower primary producers to play an active and rewarding role in circular bio-based value chains.
Ensure they benefit from the economic, social and environmental opportunities these systems offer.
The RootLinks project supports the group’s mandate by facilitating their work, strengthening communication and turning ideas into action.
This initiative builds on CBE JU’s growing support for the sector. By the end of 2025, 50 primary producers were involved in CBE JU-funded projects, demonstrating the increasing engagement of farmers, foresters, fishers and aquaculture producers in the development of circular bio-based value chains.
Learn more about the launch of the primary producers working group and how it will help shape a more inclusive, sustainable bioeconomy.
On 11 June 2025, the working group on primary producers was formally established during its inaugural meeting in Warsaw, Poland, held on the sidelines of an event organised under the Polish Presidency of the Council of the EU.
The CBE JU Governing Board has since appointed additional working group members, bringing the group to 78 representatives from across Europe, each selected for their expertise and connection to the sector. The members are:
Primary producers with a legal entity.
Cooperatives or primary producers.
Other entities working closely with them, such as associations of primary producers, networks of primary producers, advisory services for primary producers, etc.
During this first meeting, the leadership of the working group was also established. John Brosnan was elected as Chair. Supporting the chair, the following Vice chairs were elected:
Representing the agricultural primary sector: Sophie Rabeau Epsztein and Nicolaos Larkos
Representing the aquatic primary sector: David Bassett
Representing the forest primary sector: Maria Pohjala and Carlo Piemonte
Together, they will serve as the driving force behind the group’s activities. Meet the people driving this initiative forward.
My hope and expectation for this working group is that we can not only see more primary producers involved in and benefitting from future funding calls from CBE JU, but that these calls should be focused on addressing the barriers to primary producer participation. These include but are not limited to aggregation for scale, access to finance, more efficient logistics, market access, technical support, deployment of de-risked research and innovation, whilst allowing for equitable benefit sharing.
The procedure set out in the call for expression of interest to take part in the working group defines the process and the specific criteria for the establishment of the group. The working group seeks a balanced membership, ensuring representation across EU regions, sub-sectors and different types of primary production.
Do you want to take part in this initiative? Here you can find the application form.
The first cut-off date of the call to become a member of the working group on primary producers was 28 February 2025. The second cut-off date was 15 September 2025. The third cut-off date is 4 September 2026.
This initiative builds on CBE JU’s growing support for the sector. By the end of 2025, 50 primary producers were involved in CBE JU-funded projects, demonstrating the increasing engagement of farmers, foresters, fishers and aquaculture producers in the development of circular bio-based value chains.
A participatory workshop on engaging with primary producers in bio-based value chains welcomed nearly 40 stakeholders on 28 February 2024, in Brussels, for a consultation on the proposed objectives, activities and future membership of the working group. Consult the full workshop report.
A concept note set out the working group's scope, objectives, tasks and composition. A decision of the CBE JU Governing Board set out the process and the specific criteria for the establishment of the working group.
For further information please reach out to primary.producers [at] cbe.europa.eu
