Overview
The year 2024 has been especially tough for European farmers, with severe droughts, destructive summer fires, and recent floods causing over €10 billion in damages across Hungary, Poland, and the Czech Republic. In the BIOEAST region, where freshwater is crucial for agriculture and industry, these events highlight the urgent need for innovative water management solutions. The BIOEAST Initiative has been addressing this since the Mission “Restore our Ocean and Waters by 2030” – Danube Lighthouse launched. A new approach for Water-Soil-Climate Nexus was developed by experts from Slovakia’s Ministry of Agriculture, promoting local water retention and small water cycles to restore ecosystems and strengthen climate resilience. This approach has been adopted by the international BIOEAST Thematic Working Group on Freshwater-Based Bioeconomy (TWG Fresh Water BBE) as a new framework for the long term research and innovation strategy . It will be discussed in our policy-expert debate, offering sustainable solutions for water management and supporting the growth of the circular bioeconomy across Europe.
Programme
14:00: Introduction, Valerie de Liedekerke, BlueMissionAA / AIR Centre
14:00: Introduction, Valerie de Liedekerke, BlueMissionAA / AIR Centre
14:05 – 14:10: Barna Kovacs, Ph.D., Secretary-General of BIOEAST Initiative
14:10 – 14:13: Thematic SRIA Overview – Marie Kubankova, Ph.D. Leader of the BIOEAST TWG FreshWater BBE
14:13 – 14:18: Water-Soil-Climate Nexus – Martin Kovacs – Founder of Climate Club | Former Deputy Minister, Slovak Ministry of Agriculture