“Bio4Eu” is the acronym of Biotechnology for Europe Study , the report recently presented by the Joint Research Centre (JRC) of the European Commission. It reviews the various biotechnological applications in the EU, specifying their impacts and the challenges they pose. Given the relative shortage of information linked to the low number of data bases, the report is the first mapping at the European level that analyses at the same time the contribution of biotechnologies to economic growth, environmental protection and medical progress. The research examines three particular areas: medicine and health; food and agriculture; industrial processes, energy and the environment. According to the report, the production and use of biotechnologies contribute 1.69% to the added value of the European economy, thanks also to the commercial boom of biopharmaceutical products. The contribution to the growth of productivity and the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions is also high.
