October 2025
It has long been recognised by those working in the sector that more can be done to position Europe as the global leader in biotechnology. Now – after President von der Leyen pledged that Europe will “make the most of the biotech revolution” – the community is making its voice heard.
And it seems their message has gotten through loud and clear to the European Commission. In a recent update to EU Member States, the EU’s executive presented the findings of its public consultation on the forthcoming Bioeconomy Strategy.
The consultation on the Strategy, which will aim to “ensure the long-term competitiveness of the EU bioeconomy and investment security”, garnered much public interest. 444 organisations and individuals responded to the call for evidence.
In its summary, the Commission highlight two findings which are particularly telling:
What is true of biotechnology more generally is true of biocontrol more specifically. On average, it takes 7–9 years for biocontrol products to be approved in the EU (compared to 2–3 years in markets like Brazil and the U.S), while the return on investment for biocontrol products in Europe is estimated to be 30% below the global average.
Is it any wonder then, that since 2019, there has been a net loss of five biocontrol solutions in the EU, just at a time when Europe’s farmers need them most?
The message from the community is clear: regulatory certainty, policy consistency, harmonisation and reduced administrative burden – this is what the sector requires.
This is why the Biocontrol Coalition is calling for a dedicated regulatory framework for biocontrol solution. Such a framework would provide legal clarity, streamline market access, reduce burdens on national authorities, and ensure that EU farmers have timely access to sustainable tools. It would be the natural follow-on to the Food and Feed Safety Omnibus, which we hope will provide some necessary initial relief for biocontrol through the establishment of a harmonised EU definition of biocontrol and some key changes to procedures.
With forthcoming initiatives such as the Bioeconomy Strategy and the Biotech Act, biotechnology has never been so high on the EU’s agenda.
Now is the time to ensure that Europe makes the most of biotech revolution for biocontrol too – which means building on the initial changes foreseen in the forthcoming simplification omnibus to keep working towards the fit-for-purpose framework that will allow Europe’s farmers and consumers to benefit fully from biocontrol within the broader bioeconomy. We recognise that simplification packages are limited in what they can deliver — both because of the nature of simplification and the cross-sectoral nature of an omnibus. We also know that achieving a truly fit-for-purpose framework for biocontrol is no easy task, requiring extensive co-creation and fresh thinking among the relevant stakeholders as well as being subject to the Better Regulation consultation process. It is precisely because achieving a fit-for-purpose framework will take time and deliberation that the Biocontrol Coalition works now to catalyse debate and thinking on what that framework could look like.