Good afternoon and welcome to the EU Green Week!
Its wonderful to see so many people here. Let me start by thanking Romain for his amazing performance.
This year, the circular economy is at the forefront. Many associate circularity with recycling. Some might mention a repair café or second-hand shopping.
These are great examples of circular habits, but theyre not enough. We must discuss systemic changes to make the circular economy a reality, requiring a mindset shift for consumers and businesses.
Our world is changing, and we must adapt. We need to leverage our strengths to turn challenges into opportunities, safeguarding our citizens wellbeing and prosperity.
Europe has high standards but limited natural resources. We must move away from the linear take-make-dispose model.
In nature, nothing is linear. ChatGPT confirms this, except for a meteorite. Everything else is circular.
This week, we will adopt our Water Resilience Strategy, emphasizing the need to restore the water cycle.
Why isnt circularity the dominant model yet, despite legislation and action plans? Our markets are geared toward linear models, and entrepreneurs face many obstacles.
Take textiles: while the policy is strong, theres a lack of investment security in recycling. Or plastics: prices are so low that recycling plants struggle.
The Draghi and Letta reports inspired the Competitiveness Compass and the Clean Industrial Deal. We will further develop this approach in the Circular Economy Act of 2026.
We are launching a consultation and hope for your input. We want to boost demand for secondary raw materials, tackle single market bottlenecks, and accelerate the bioeconomy.
This is a defining moment. Lets make the circular economy our default model. Thank you.