Regulation 2014/560 - Bio-based Industries Joint Undertaking - Main contents

Summary of Legislation
Legislative text

1. Summary of Legislation

Public-private partnership for bio-based industries

SUMMARY OF:

Regulation (EU) No 560/2014 establishing the Bio-based Industries Joint Undertaking

WHAT IS THE AIM OF THE REGULATION?

It sets up a public-private partnership (PPP) called the Bio-based Industries (BBI) Joint Undertaking (JU) for the implementation of the Joint Technology Initiative on Bio-based Industries to strengthen industrial research and innovation in the EU.

KEY POINTS

The BBI JU seeks to reduce Europe’s dependence on fossil-based products, meeting climate change targets and generating greener growth. It is designed to finance research and innovation projects and promote new cross-sector partnerships, exploiting biomass and biological wastes to make new, greener and fossil-free advanced fuels, chemicals and food ingredients.

The BBI JU involves sectors such as agriculture, agro-food, technology manufacturers, forestry/paper, chemicals and energy. These industries have been identified in the EU’s Europe 2020 strategy as having a key role in boosting sustainable growth and competitiveness by re-industrialising and revitalising rural areas, and providing highly skilled jobs in research, development and production.

Focus

To accelerate the EU’s transition to a bio-based economy, the BBI JU focuses on:

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building new value chains based on the development of efficient and sustainable biomass collection and supply systems and the improved utilisation of biomass feedstock, while finding new uses for waste and plant (ligno-cellulosic) biomass;
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bringing existing value chains to new levels, optimising feedstock and industrial side-streams (by-products which are recycled) and delivering innovative added value products to market, thus reinforcing the competitiveness of EU agriculture and forest-based industries;
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bringing technology to maturity through research and innovation and through the construction of flagship bio-refineries to process the biomass into a range of innovative products.

Management

The BBI JU is a legal entity set up for the purpose under Article 187 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (which allows for public-private partnerships at EU level in the field of industrial research). It sets its own strategic research agenda and funds projects selected following calls for proposals published on the BBI website. As a general rule, the JU applies the Horizon 2020 rules for participation.

Article 209 of the EU’s Financial Regulation provides for new lighter rules customised for EU PPP bodies.

BBI is managed by an Executive Director who is supported by the Executive Office. The JU has a governing board comprising the industry and European Commission representatives. It has overall responsibility for the operations of the JU. It is advised by a Scientific Committee on scientific priorities. There is also a BBI states representatives group representing the countries involved. Decisions are taken in accordance with the voting rules established by the JU.

Budget

The original EU financial contribution to the BBI JU, including EFTA appropriations, amounts to €975 million. This is to be complemented by around €2.7 billion in private sector investment. The JU also seeks to develop synergies with the European Structural and Investment Funds.

Regulation (EU) 2018/121 amends Regulation (EU) No 560/2014. It confirms the obligation of the Bio-industries consortium and its constituent entities to deliver the financial contribution for the full amount set out in the regulation, but allows those contributions to be made not only as payments to the BBI JU, but also as financial contributions — in particular, to beneficiaries in grants funded by the BBI JU.

FROM WHEN DOES THE REGULATION APPLY?

It has applied since 27 June 2014.

BACKGROUND

For more information, see:

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Bio-based industries

MAIN DOCUMENT

Council Regulation (EU) No 560/2014 of 6 May 2014 establishing the Bio-based Industries Joint Undertaking (OJ L 169, 7.6.2014, pp. 130-151)

2. Legislative text

Council Regulation (EU) No 560/2014 of 6 May 2014 establishing the Bio-based Industries Joint Undertaking Text with EEA relevance

Contents

1.

Summary of Legislation

2.

Legislative text