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Document 52022AE5904

Opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee on the communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions – Towards a Strong and Sustainable EU Algae Sector (COM(2022) 592 final)

EESC 2022/05904

OJ C 228, 29.6.2023, p. 126–131 (BG, ES, CS, DA, DE, ET, EL, EN, FR, GA, HR, IT, LV, LT, HU, MT, NL, PL, PT, RO, SK, SL, FI, SV)

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Official Journal

29.6.2023

Official Journal of the European Union

C 228/126

(COM(2022) 592 final)

(2023/C 228/18)

Rapporteur:

Zsolt KÜKEDI

Referral	European Commission, 8.2.2023
Legal basis	Article 304 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union
Plenary Assembly decision	27.4.2023
Legal basis	Rule 52(2) of the Rules of Procedure
Section responsible	Agriculture, Rural Development and the Environment
Adopted in section	13.4.2023
Adopted at plenary	27.4.2023
Plenary session No	578
Outcome of vote (for/against/abstentions)	147/0/1

1. Conclusions and recommendations

1.1.

The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) welcomes the Commission communication on creating a strong and sustainable EU algae sector. Algae can contribute in many ways to mitigating the effects of climate change and to sustainably feeding and supplying energy to the world’s rapidly expanding population.

1.2.

Opinions on algae are common among the European population. Algae proliferation is considered a cause for concern, particularly in areas neighbouring polluted waters. At the same time, algae are also seen as a possible solution to the problems of many countries, partly thanks to European innovation. The EESC points out that in the context of creating an algae sector, it is necessary to increase confidence in products and pay more attention to ensuring they are safe.

1.3.

The EESC notes that the communication does not emphasise sufficiently the possibility of a food source created in freshwater conditions. Moreover, algae can not necessarily only be a source of food in freshwater conditions, but can also extend to eutrophicated freshwater, wastewater from thermal baths and other wastewater, where it can serve environmental or energy purposes. This vast, but underutilised, resource should be used to serve Europe’s development, in particular the EU’s rural areas.

1.4.

Macroalgae in marine coastal waters can generate additional revenue for fishing enterprises. Extracting them reduces eutrophication and can generate valuable ecosystem products and services, including by providing new habitats for certain species. The freshwater macroalgae sector is just starting to take off and should be considered in upcoming policy documents.

1.5.

In the EU, continuous cultivation of microalgae is mainly possible in a closed reactor, which implies a huge need for capital. However, it is very productive and reliable, with predictable quality. The cultivation of microalgae is also possible in freshwaters and lakes in southern Europe.

1.6.

For some Member States that do not have a maritime coastline (e.g. Hungary, Czechia and Slovakia) microalgae production is pretty much the only option available. At the same time, some of these countries have a high level of scientific and technological knowledge that should be used when creating a European algae sector.

1.7.

Macroalgae and microalgae, which offer a wide range of possibilities and have different characteristics, impacts and regulatory needs, should not be treated in the same way. The EESC understands that there is a reasonable balance between macroalgae and microalgae in the communication, but it recommends examining how the freshwater part of the algae sector could bring benefits to certain Member States (those without a maritime coastline). The EESC recommends taking a more balanced and integrated approach to related sectors, making a clear distinction between the competences of the EU and of the Member States and, if need be, protecting the internal market from cheap import products.

1.8.

Unlike the availability and price of energy (in terms of both production and import), fertilisers and feed ingredients, increases in organic waste and reductions in arable land, food supply in the EU is not yet a problem. Technologies that can address these urgent problems in general, including production and exploitation of algae, deserve extensive support.

1.9.

The EESC notes that the communication sees enormous economic potential for algae, but cultivation theoretically presents even greater potential and is thus capable of meeting growing demand. However, European funds may only be used for viable and sustainable economic solutions, so the EESC asks the Commission to pay particular attention to the economic efficiency of algae production, as well as to the environmental and social dimensions.

1.10.

As proposed by the EESC, during the establishment of the algae industry, knowledge and awareness of this new industry must be promoted for the sake of social and market acceptance, and therefore asks the European Commission that this proposed measure be given special emphasis through representative surveys, country-specific action plans and the involvement and even creation of sectoral organisations.

1.11.

The EESC recommends that the European Commission, the Member States involved and the algae industry consider the following proposals in relation to creating an algae sector:

—	integrate algae production into existing value chains of agricultural food, animal feed and industrial and energy raw materials;

—	freshwater-based algae production should be given more emphasis in the communication;

—	launch a standardisation process covering all algae, which could also include the development of an integrated marine product strategy;

—	based on administrative best practices, end fragmentation of legislation and extend authorisation models to algae;

—	include the different algae species in the EU food catalogue;

—	bridge gaps in technical knowledge, technology and innovation through an ambitious funding programme for research in the short and medium term;

—	set up and finance the operation of propagating material banks and ensure that raw materials are available at reasonable prices for algae producers and R & D projects;

—	the economic aspects of production and potential uses must be reviewed in order to create an economically viable algae sector; the internal market must be protected from cheap imported products.

1.12.

The EESC calls on the EU institutions to start prioritising the issue of water and to develop a Blue Pact for Europe to preserve, make better use of and adequately address issues relating to water resources. In this context, the creation of an EU algae sector is an important step.

2. General comments

2.1.

On 15 November 2022, the European Commission published its proposal Towards a Strong and Sustainable EU Algae Sector (1). The communication proposes the development of new and sustainable ways of feeding and supplying with sustainable energy the world’s rapidly growing population. The communication emphasises that in order to ensure the security of supply of raw materials and energy, we must use the potential of algae as a renewable resource in Europe.

2.2.

The Commission’s communication is logical and forms part of a series of documents which have recognised the significant economic potential and environmental and social benefits of large-scale microalgae and macroalgae cultivation in the EU. It identifies 23 actions aimed at improving the governance framework and legislation, improving the business environment in relation to algae, increasing public awareness and consumer acceptance of algae and algae-based products, and closing knowledge, research and technological gaps.

2.3.

European policies — the European Green Deal (2), the Farm to Fork Strategy (3) — have stressed the potential of farmed (marine) algae and other algal-based products as a low-carbon source of proteins used in food and feed. The communication Strategic guidelines for a more sustainable and competitive EU aquaculture for the period 2021 to 2030 (4) highlights the need to promote the cultivation of algae — both macroalgae (marine algae) and microalgae — in order to help achieve several of the European Green Deal objectives. In its communication on Sustainable Carbon Cycles (5), the European Commission recognises the potential of algae for the blue carbon economy. The communication on a sustainable blue economy (6) also refers to the potential of algae to ensure a sustainable food system and global food security.

2.4.

The use of algae not only as an environmentally friendly (green) feedstock, but also in farming systems is in line with the blue economy’s waste minimisation principle, i.e. it can be both a blue and green product.

2.5.

Algae cultivation brings added value to almost all elements of the European Green Deal:

—	climate protection through decarbonisation,

—	the production of biogas and biofuels for energy supply,

—	achieving circularity through waste management and zero pollution,

—	promoting a healthy and environmentally friendly food system,

—	protecting and restoring ecosystems and biodiversity, developing environmental services,

—	zero pollution.

Stepping up algae production offers the following specific possibilities (7):

—	production of food (including infant formula) or food supplements (e.g. vitamins, carrageenan) in a sustainable manner, without the use of land;

—	production of state-of-the-art biogas and biofuels;

—	production of high added-value cosmetics, healthcare products (pharmaceutical extracts, pigments, thalassotherapy) and industrial raw materials (paper/bio-based fibres);

—	production of feed supplements (yield and/or quality improvement, soya/fish meal savings);

—	production of crop biostimulants (soil improver, foliar fertiliser);

—	environmental benefits (waste water treatment, water quality measurement, carbon quotas).

2.6.

The Commission’s communication ‘looks at the potential of algae in the EU and sets out a coherent approach, including targeted actions, to support the upscaling of regenerative algae cultivation and production throughout the EU, and to develop and mainstream the markets for food and non-food algae applications’.

2.7.

Not only does ‘regenerative algae cultivation and production’ mean the conversion of solar energy and nutrients into plant biomass and support for the restoration of ecosystems, but also ‘seaweed cultivation can deliver valuable ecosystem goods and services, including providing new habitats for fish and mobile invertebrate species’.

2.8.

Despite the fact that the seas and oceans are a huge but underused resource, they are currently ‘the source of only up to 2 % of human food, despite covering over 70 % of the Earth’s surface’. However, benefits from the use of aquatic resources are not limited to the seas and oceans, but also include eutrophicated freshwaters (be these rivers and lakes or man-made reservoirs, irrigation channels, etc.), waste water from thermal baths and other waste water.

2.9.

Problems with the availability of fertilisers, feed components and energy resulting from the Russia-Ukraine war could be reduced effectively and sustainably with the use of algae (8).

2.10.

The demand for algae has a huge potential for growth (9): while European demand for seaweed was around 270 000 tonnes in 2019, it could increase to 8 million tonnes by 2030 and be worth EUR 9 billion. This increase could create around 85 000 jobs, lead to the removal of thousands of tonnes of phosphorus and nitrogen from European seas each year, reduce CO2 emissions by up to 5,4 million tonnes per year, and reduce pressures on land use. The EESC notes that the theoretical potential of algae cultivation is greater than the current demand and is therefore capable of keeping up with growing demand.

3. Specific comments

3.1.

The perception of algae by the average European and among businesses is mostly negative and based on images such as seaweed on the beach or algal blooms discolouring a freshwater lake. However, the physical structure and way of life of algae make them unique living organisms.

3.2.

In fact, the term ‘algae’ describes a group of approximately 72 500 species (10) of aquatic photosynthetic organisms. 20 % of species are large, multicellular macroalgae, typically found in seas, while the rest are microalgae which can be grown efficiently in artificial systems, have a more versatile use but are more expensive to produce. The initiative has a reasonable balance between macroalgae and microalgae, as 36 million tonnes of macroalgae and 0,05 million tons of microalgae are currently produced worldwide.

3.3.

The communication opens up ambitious but realistic perspectives for the European algae sector. The analysis of the algae sector and its possibilities and limitations is largely accurate, the programme is coherent and the measures generally appear to be specific and relevant for the development of the European algae sector in the near future. However, certain elements require some clarification and explanation. There should be consistency in implementation with other sectors, such as the traditional agricultural food sector and seafood sectors (fishing and animal aquaculture).

3.4.

At present, algae production is very distinct from other agricultural production sectors. However, it is important not to consider algae as a completely separate production sector, but as integrated in the existing value chains for agricultural food and feed, as well as for industrial and energy raw materials. The EESC stresses the need to regulate algae production and other related activities in a common system, in particular:

—	the power plant and waste water treatment sectors (complex waste water treatment, waste heat and CO2 recovery),

—	integration of agricultural biogas plants with algae production/use (e.g. slurry utilisation, reduction of agricultural land demand, use of algae as co-substrate in biogas recipes),

—	partial replacement of protein feed demand for livestock farming (related dietary and dietetic research),

—	sustainable restoration of eutrophicated water ecosystems.

3.5.

As this is an underdeveloped new sector, special attention should be paid to stimulating development, and a standardisation process should be launched. This could include the development of an integrated strategy on seafood and other marine-based food that includes activities such as fisheries, wild organism harvesting and animal aquaculture, and beyond the food sector also biofuels with an algae component. Seaweed farming can also be an alternative for fishermen who face reductions of other raw materials along with increasing costs, and may have to change their traditional activities. Such an integrated approach is little evident in the communication.

3.6.

A number of measures provided for focus mainly on offshore farming. This is understandable given the current macro- and microalgae production rates and the current underdeveloped status of microalgae production in Europe, but the development goal should cover the full variety of algaes. Seaweeds can be grown in countries with coastlines and islands, typically under natural conditions, depending on species and use. On the other hand, the inland cultivation of microalgae is generally also very important, especially for protein and lipid production, and should not be forgotten. This includes freshwater (micro and macro) algae and cultivation applications in waste water, which are a promising source of biomass for use as organic feedstock and to diversifying the economic structure of isolated and depopulated areas, contributing to the long-term vision for the EU’s rural areas (11).

3.7.

One of the main known obstacles in the production sector — especially for macroalgae, both at sea and inland — is the fragmentation of legislation on algae and its wide variation between Member States and even between regions within Member States, or its complete absence, as authorisation models are generally designed with aquatic animals (fish, shellfish, etc.) in mind. Algae is very often not included in the forms used for authorisation procedures, so no authorisation for algae can even be requested. The EESC recommends that a complete pan-European overview be drawn up of all legislation and administrative procedures for each stage of algae cultivation and each field of application (food, animal feed, biofuels, cosmetics, pharmaceutical products etc.) and that it be used as an example for Member States to develop best administrative practices and to create a level playing field for trade within and beyond the EU.

3.8.

Encouraging the inclusion of algae species or groups in the EU food catalogue is essential for the development of a truly European algae food sector. Many of the species currently recognised are from outside Europe (particularly from Asia), and this creates obstacles in particular for smaller companies and investors who want to cultivate closely related or similar European species. To this end, the algae parts of the food catalogue should be reviewed and the inclusion of new species/genera encouraged.

3.9.

As there is a high level of social aversion to algae, albeit unfounded and due to a lack of knowledge, knowledge and awareness of the new industry, and also its integration and systemic application, should be created at all administrative levels, and this should be reflected in the proposed measures. Possible steps include:

—	representative surveys at national level among the general public and businesses with uniform questions and methodology,

—	on this basis, developing country-specific action plans to improve behaviours,

—	establishment of industry organisations.

3.10.

As the algae sector is a new sector for Europe, there are significant gaps in professional knowledge, technology and innovation. Knowledge gaps have largely been identified but need to be addressed through an ambitious programme to fund short- and medium-term research. To cover these gaps, both basic (strategic) and applied research is essential at all levels of algae production:

—	priority support for basic research: in the case of microalgae, mainly related to cultivation technology; in the case of macroalgae, mainly related to efficient harvesting and species composition studies of marine waters in different countries; and for all algae species, related to utilisation,

—	improving the market environment for applied developments with high added value (pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, foliar fertiliser, food).

3.11.

Since reliable quality (species composition) and high algae yields in Europe can only be achieved in closed or semi-closed systems, and these require clean propagating material whose production is not profitable in industrial systems, it is necessary to establish a sufficient number of propagating material banks for algae, finance their operation and ensure that raw materials are available at a reasonable price for algae producers and R & D projects.

3.12.

The algae sector has significant potential to create jobs which should be well paid and with decent working conditions. The algae sector should particularly benefit in terms of building the competences necessary to create the EU Blue Deal; investments in training are important. Barriers to entry into the algae sector should not prevent SMEs entering this business segment. The EESC welcomes the creation of seaweed product chains that avoid unfair practices.

3.13.

Effective growth in the algae sector can only be achieved by improving the business environment. We need to look carefully at the economic aspects of production and potential applications and how they can be improved. For example, measure No 7 refers to encouraging the replacement of fish-based feed with algae-based feed (in aquaculture). In fish feed, almost all fish-based ingredients can easily be replaced with algae-based ingredients (proteins, fatty acids, etc.), but it is much more expensive to produce them than fish- or soy-based products with similar characteristics. For fish producers, to whom feed is one of the main costs of production and profit margins are generally tight, algae-based feed is simply not feasible economically. Measures should therefore be planned to reduce the production costs of algae-based ingredients while avoiding having stricter monitoring and standardisation for algae than for other agricultural products. All producers of food (and food ingredients) should be treated equally in order to ensure a level playing field on the market. If algae-based ingredients are proven to be more sustainable, it may be possible to link their use to eco-certification (eco-labelling), which may encourage consumers to accept a higher price for a more sustainable product.

Brussels, 27 April 2023.

The President of the European Economic and Social Committee

Oliver RÖPKE

(1) Towards a Strong and Sustainable EU Algae Sector, COM(2022) 592 final, 15 November 2022.

(2) The European Green Deal, COM(2019) 640 final, 11 December 2019.

(3) A Farm to Fork Strategy for a fair, healthy and environmentally-friendly food system, COM(2020) 381 final, 20 May 2020.

(4) Strategic guidelines for a more sustainable and competitive EU aquaculture for the period 2021 to 2030, COM(2021) 236 final, 12 May 2021.

(5) Sustainable Carbon Cycles, COM(2021) 800 final, 15 December 2021.

(6) Transforming the EU’s Blue Economy for a Sustainable Future, COM(2021) 240 final, 17 May 2021.

(7) Reference and other possibilities: Babich et al., Algae: Study of Edible and Biologically Active Fractions, Their Properties and Applications, Plants 2022, 11(6), 780; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants11060780, and Poonam Sharma, Nivedita Sharma (2017), Industrial and Biotechnological Applications of Algae: A Review, Journal of Advances in Plant Biology — 1(1):01-25. DOI 10.14302/issn.2638-4469.japb-17-1534, https://openaccesspub.org/article/530/japb-17-1534.pdf

(8) European Council meeting Conclusions 23 and 24 June 2022.

(9) Estimates of the Seaweed for Europe Coalition study Hidden Champion of the Ocean: Seaweed as a Growth Engine for a Sustainable European Future.

(10) Michael D. Guiry puts the number of algae species at up to 1 million in his study How many species of algae are there? However, the online taxonomy database AlgaeBase puts the figure at 72 500. See Guiry (2012), https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27011267/, DOI: 10.1111/j.1529-8817.2012.01222.x.

(11) COM(2021) 345 A long-term Vision for the EU's Rural Areas — Towards stronger, connected, resilient and prosperous rural areas by 2040 and OJ C 290, 29.7.2022, p. 137.

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