Barriers and innovation pathways for Europe's circular bioeconomyParis, Bas (Avtor) Balafoutis, Athanasios T. (Avtor) Christopoulou, Clio (Avtor) Santos, João (Avtor) Ristovska, Natasha (Avtor) Juvančič, Luka (Avtor) Berden Zrimec, Maja (Avtor) Vajda, Boglarka (Avtor) Michas, Dimitris (Avtor) Papadakis, George (Avtor) circular bioeconomybio-based value chainsresidue valorisationinnovation pathwaysinterconnected barriersstakeholder participationbioeconomy policyThe bioeconomy is a key pillar of the European Green Deal, yet its implementation remains constrained by entrenched linear value chains, fragmented logistics systems, and regulatory uncertainty. This paper examines how practitioners across Europe envision circular bioeconomy transitions, drawing on 43 harmonised multi-actor workshops conducted in 14 countries with 1078 participants from primary production, processing industries, technology provision, public authorities, and civil society. Using a structured participatory canvas and comparative thematic analysis, we analyse how stakeholders redesign existing value chains, which innovation pathways they prioritise, and which barriers they encounter in practice. Across agriculture, forestry, aquatic systems and bio-based industries, stakeholders consistently shift the focus from expanding biomass production toward better use of residues and side-streams. Dominant innovation pathways include residue valorisation, nutrient and water recycling, integrated bioenergy systems, and emerging biomaterials. Four interlinked barrier domains recur across countries and sectors: economic barriers, technological limitations, feedstock logistics and infrastructure constraints, and policy and regulatory challenges. The findings suggest that circular bioeconomy transitions are constrained less by a lack of innovation opportunities than by recurring economic, technological, infrastructural, regulatory, and knowledge-related barriers across countries and sectors. Providing one of the most extensive cross-country, practitioner-led analyses of circular bioeconomy transitions to date, the study offers insight into the conditions shaping circular bioeconomy development across Europe. The findings point to a policy agenda focused on regulatory clarification, coordinated investment in residue aggregation and pre-treatment infrastructure, while highlighting the need for complementary sustainability assessments to evaluate ecological effectiveness and broader socio-ecological implications.20272026-09-17 10:55:08Članek v reviji188016sl