Chris Patermann is considered as the father of the European bioeconomy and is still a central figure in the world bioeconomy community. In this exclusive interview with Il Bioeconomista, he talks – 10 years after the first Bioeconomy strategy launched by the European Commission – about the new challenges we are facing to make the new economy based on biological resources happen.
Interview by Mario Bonaccorso
“It will be very relevant that in spite of these upcoming challenges by the pandemic in its aftermath we do not lose out of sight that we all live on the same planet, or better said with respect to the bioeconomy in the same biosphere, and finally that we have to survive jointly. Never before the slogan “Think global, and act local” had more value than today”. Chris Patermann, the man who is considered in Europe as the “father” of the bioeconomy, talks to Il Bioeconomista. In this long exclusive interviene, the former Director at the EU Commission talks about the Global Bioeconomy Summit, which was held in Berlin last November, and the bioeconomy after the pandemic.
Interview by Mario Bonaccorso
The Bioeconomy Revolution has just begun. The Bioeconomy Revolution is the new ebook on world bioeconomy published by Edizioni Ambiente, the main Italian publisher focused on green economy, bioeconomy and circular economy.
The ebook has the privilege of hosting the preface written by Christian Patermann, the man who is considered as the “father” of the European bioeconomy:
“The Bioeconomy Revolution” is not just another book to be added to the growing number of publications worldwide on the Bioeconomy and more recently on the so-called circular economy.
Chris Patermann is simply the “father” of the European bioeconomy. Since January 2004 he was Programme Director for “Biotechnology, Agriculture & Food” Research at the Research Directorate-General of the European Commission, which from 2007 also comprised Aquaculture and Fisheries as well as Forestry. During these years he was responsible for the elaboration of the new concept of the Knowledge Based Bioeconomy (KBBE), which today is known as bio-based economy or more simply bioeconomy in Europe. He was also appointed Chairman of the oldest Committee between EU Member States and the European Commission, the Standing Committee on Agricultural Research, SCAR. He also served for 4 years as co-chair in the important EC-US Task Force Life Sciences and Biotechnology Research. In August 2007 Christian Patermann retired. He now lives in Bonn and advises public and private institutions and companies, among them the largest German Land NorthRhine-Westphalia, the Fraunhofer Society, the Swiss Agricultural Research Council etc.
With Chris Patermann, who is one of the most influential people in the European bioeconomy, we talk – in this long exciting exclusive interview – about what was the vision that inspired the beginnings of the European strategy on bioeconomy, but also the future of this meta-sector through which the European Union can aspire to economic growth, creation of jobs and environmental sustainability.
Interview by Mario Bonaccorso
IL BIOECONOMISTA 