site.btaCircular Economy Must Become New Way of Thinking, Says EU Commissioner Jessika Roswall

The circular economy must become a new mindset—Europe’s path to ensuring its competitiveness and enhancing its security, said Jessika Roswall, EU Commissioner for Environment, Water Resilience, and a Competitive Circular Economy, during the opening of the European Green Week 2025 conference in Brussels, held under the theme Circular Solutions for a Competitive Europe. 

Europe is a continent rich in highly skilled people and high standards, but with limited natural resources, the Commissioner noted.

In 2026, the EU is expected to publish the Circular Economy Act, which is set to become one of the key tools for strengthening the Union’s competitiveness and security, Roswall said. One of the main objectives of the planned legislation is to increase the demand for recycled materials, which in 2023 made up just 12% of raw materials used in European industry.

This could be achieved, for example, through the public procurement mechanism, she added, pointing out that public authorities across the EU spend EUR 1.8 trillion annually on labor, goods, and services. Roswall called for a portion of that capacity to be redirected toward stimulating the circular economy.

Another approach, according to her, involves addressing inconsistencies and bottlenecks in the EU single market and improving trade in waste and secondary raw materials, as well as significantly increasing the extraction and processing of recycled materials. “This is not only an economic opportunity but also a way to reduce dependence on a small number of countries currently supplying the rare earth elements we rely on,” the EU Commissioner emphasized.

The bioeconomy is another sector with immense potential—from agriculture and forestry to the development of high-tech alternatives to key products, Roswall added.