ANE has responded to the European Commission’s call for evidence on shaping a circular and climate-neutral economy. Our statement, submitted as part of the initiative “Towards a Circular, Regenerative and Competitive Bioeconomy,” outlines the priorities and recommendations we believe are essential for a sustainable European future.
The Challenge: Fragmentation and a gap in skills
As the European Union sets ambitious goals for a circular, regenerative, and competitive bioeconomy, the role of a well-equipped, future-ready workforce becomes more critical than ever. ANE emphasises that achieving these eco-friendly ambitions hinges on developing strong, harmonised skills across sectors and borders.
Across Europe, efforts to boost skills relevant to the circular bioeconomy remain scattered. Initiatives are often isolated, with varying standards and priorities across countries and sectors, resulting in inconsistent workforce readiness. Education systems have yet to fully embed circular economy principles into STEM curricula, slowing the development of essential competencies. Furthermore, a lack of comprehensive skills anticipation tools makes it difficult to align training with emerging technological and market needs.
Our Recommendations to the European Commission
To address these challenges, ANE advocates for a strategic, coordinated approach led by the European Commission:
- Adopt the Circular Economy Competence Framework (CEC) as the standard for STEM education and professional development across all Member States to ensure consistent skills standards.
- Harmonise and expand upskilling and reskilling initiatives by integrating efforts such as Engineers4Europe and SPIRE-SAIS into a cohesive European skills framework, especially for bioeconomy sectors and SMEs.
- Embed circular economy principles into higher education curricula systematically, including through mandatory modules, dual degrees, and sector-specific training pathways.
- Develop a robust skills anticipation and monitoring system, leveraging real-time data and tools to align workforce capabilities with evolving technological and market needs.
- Strengthen governance and stakeholder collaboration—ensuring continuous dialogue with national and European engineering associations and industries to keep skills strategies relevant and up to date.
Read the full statement
Answer prepared by the Association of Nordic Engineers with the contribution of Hanne Shapiro, futures