Biosolutions Forum+ to Accelerate Sustainable Food and Climate Solutions in Denmark and the EU

Biosolutions Forum+ aims to accelerate the development of sustainable foods and climate solutions in Denmark and across the EU through smarter and faster regulation. Biosolutions are expected to deliver substantial CO₂ reductions, create millions of new jobs in Europe, and generate billions in exports — but only if we seize the opportunity.

An accelerating climate crisis, rising food prices, and a growing global population have created an urgent need for new solutions. Biosolutions have the potential to provide sustainable foods for the future, significantly reduce CO₂ emissions, and at the same time serve as a new growth engine, generating exports and thousands of new jobs.

A New Forum for Smarter Regulation

To address these challenges, the Alliance for Biosolutions under the Danish Chamber of Commerce is launching Biosolutions Forum+. The forum will focus specifically on improving framework conditions for biosolutions companies at both national and EU level.

The initiative is developed in collaboration with Dr. Jur. Linda Nielsen, former Rector of the University of Copenhagen, and is supported by the Novo Nordisk Foundation.

However, significant barriers remain. Lengthy EU approval processes are costly for companies and often prevent especially small and newly established firms from getting their innovative products approved before they are forced to shut down.

“It’s a major problem that the EU is currently hindering the development of future foods, ag-tech and innovative green technologies. We need to take off the gloves, speed up the approval process, and ensure regulation keeps pace with innovation. We need new and smarter ways to regulate innovative solutions — while maintaining high safety standards,”
says Anne Lerche, Head of Biosolutions at the Danish Chamber of Commerce and Managing Director of the Alliance for Biosolutions.

EU Approval Processes Lag Behind

So far in 2025, only eight new products have been added to the EU’s Novel Food list. The path from application to approval can take between three to five years before a new food or ingredient is authorised — compared to one to two years in the United States.

The situation is even more challenging for biocontrol products, where approval in the EU can take up to eight to ten years, as these products are regulated alongside traditional pesticides.

Biosolutions are expected to become a central driver of growth and employment in Denmark, Europe, and globally. The slow and rigid EU regulatory framework therefore poses a serious threat to Europe’s competitiveness, self-sufficiency, and green transition.

In the worst case, companies may abandon the European market altogether. Achieving agreement among all EU member states on more flexible legislation is difficult, which makes close cooperation between experts, companies, and authorities essential to pave the way for a new regulatory paradigm and concrete legal recommendations.

Regulatory Sandboxes as a Key Tool

“All products placed on the European market must be safe. At the same time, we have legal tools that can help us regulate more intelligently, so the EU does not miss out on growth, jobs, and innovative solutions. One practical example is regulatory sandboxes, where we can nationally fine-tune mechanisms within the broader regulatory system and give sustainable products a faster route to market. I look forward to collaborating with companies, researchers, and civil society to pave the way for more innovation-friendly EU regulation,” says Dr. Jur. Linda Nielsen.

During the period 2025–2027, Biosolutions Forum+ will support the Danish Government’s 2024 Entrepreneurship Agreement, which allocates DKK 30 million over four years for the establishment of regulatory sandboxes in Denmark within key areas of strength, including biosolutions.

The forum will be open to all stakeholders interested in working with regulatory sandboxes within biosolutions.

Facts

• The Net-Zero Industry Act requires all EU member states to establish a national contact point for regulatory sandboxes for net-zero technologies. In Denmark, this will be implemented by the Danish Business Authority (Erhvervsstyrelsen).
• Under the Entrepreneurship Agreement, the Danish government aims to strengthen entrepreneurship in national areas of excellence by establishing regulatory sandboxes, including within biosolutions and green energy technologies.
• The government has established a growth team expected to deliver recommendations for a national biosolutions strategy by the end of the year, including a regulatory track covering both national and EU legislation.
• According to analysis by ADC (2025), the global economic impact of biosolutions is expected to nearly double by 2035 to approximately EUR 778 billion.
• Employment in Europe is projected to grow from 1.84 million jobs in 2024 to 4.5 million by 2035. Danish companies identify regulation as a key barrier to scaling and capturing this growth.

Press Contact

For more information, please contact the Danish Chamber of Commerce Press Office
Tel: +45 7022 8010

Biosolutions Forum+ Steering Committee (2025–2027)

The following individuals are personally appointed to the Steering Committee (SteerCo) for the 36-month period 2025–2027:

• Linda Nielsen, Dr. Jur. (Chair)
• Laila Pinheiro, Director, Syngenta
• Peter Steen Mortensen, Head of Public Affairs, Novonesis
• Susanne Palsten, CEO, Algiecel
• Christian Brix Tillegren, Director, BioInnovation Institute
• Marie Louise Bojsen Lendal, CEO, Think Tank Frej
• Svend Christensen, Professor, University of Copenhagen (KU