Overview
The year 2024 has been especially tough for European farmers, with severe droughts, destructive summer fires, and recent floods causing over €10 billion in damages across Hungary, Poland, and the Czech Republic. In the BIOEAST region, where freshwater is crucial for agriculture and industry, these events highlight the urgent need for innovative water management solutions. The BIOEAST Initiative has been addressing this since the Mission “Restore our Ocean and Waters by 2030” – Danube Lighthouse launched. A new approach for Water-Soil-Climate Nexus was developed by experts from Slovakia’s Ministry of Agriculture, promoting local water retention and small water cycles to restore ecosystems and strengthen climate resilience. This approach has been adopted by the international BIOEAST Thematic Working Group on Freshwater-Based Bioeconomy (TWG Fresh Water BBE) as a new framework for the long term research and innovation strategy . It will be discussed in our policy-expert debate, offering sustainable solutions for water management and supporting the growth of the circular bioeconomy across Europe.
Programme
14:00
Introduction, Valerie de Liedekerke, BlueMissionAA / AIR Centre
14:05 - 14:10
Barna Kovacs, Ph.D., Secretary-General of BIOEAST Initiative
14:10 - 14:13
Thematic SRIA Overview – Marie Kubankova, Ph.D. Leader of the BIOEAST TWG FreshWater BBE
14:13 - 14:18
Water-Soil-Climate Nexus – Martin Kováč – Founder of Climate Club | Former Deputy Minister, Slovak Ministry of Agriculture
14:18 - 14:21
Pilot Implementation – Michal Kravčík, Ph.D. Co-Founder & Initiative Lead at WATERHOLISTIC
14:21 - 14:25
Aquaculture – Béla Halasi-Kovacs – Director / SCIAP Research and Development Consulting Ltd.
14:25 - 14:30
Water Board Mission – Ana Gavrilovic – Professor, Head of the Postgraduate professional study of Fisheries, University of Zagreb Faculty of Agriculture
14:30 - 14:40
Ariane Blum – Water4All EU Partnership Coordinator
14:40 - 14:45
Danube4All Danube Restoration Plan – Allison O’Reilly, Project Manager, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna (BOKU)
14:45 - 15:00
Q&A moderated by Valerie de Liedekerke, BlueMissionAA / AIR Centre
Speakers
Barna Kovács
Secretary-General, BIOEAST Initiative | Counsellor, Permanent Representation of Hungary to the EU
Dr. Barna Kovács has served as Secretary-General of the BIOEAST Initiative since its establishment in 2016, promoting sustainable bioeconomies in Central and Eastern Europe through strategic research and innovation in agriculture, aquaculture, and forestry. As a Counsellor at Hungary’s Permanent Representation to the EU, he oversees bioeconomy-related discussions in the EU Council. Additionally, he represents Hungary as Vice-Chair of FACCE JPI and as a member of SCAR, contributing to research and innovation policies for a sustainable bioeconomy in Europe.
Marie Kubankova
Coordinator, National Bioeconomy BIOEAST HUB, Czech Republic
Marie Kubankova is the Coordinator of the Czech Republic’s National Bioeconomy BIOEAST HUB, supporting bioeconomy strategy across Central and Eastern Europe. With over a decade of experience in agricultural, bioenergy, and food processing research, she has built a robust network to advance bioeconomy goals. Leading the BIOEAST Thematic Working Group on Freshwater-Based Bioeconomy and co-leading the Bioeconomy Education Working Group, Kubankova collaborates with policymakers and researchers to strengthen bioeconomy initiatives. Her work, supported by the Czech Ministry of Agriculture, aligns with the BIOEAST Initiative’s efforts to drive sustainable development in the region.
Martin Kováč
Founder of Climate Club | Former Deputy Minister, Slovak Ministry of Agriculture
Martin Kovacs founded Climate Club in 2020 to advance sustainable management of natural resources, focusing on the complex relationships between water, soil, and climate. As Deputy Minister at the Slovak Ministry of Agriculture, he has led policy development on soil protection, climate resilience, and water-soil management. His initiatives include the “Soil – Carbon and Water Bank” concept (2021) and the White Paper “Water for Climate Healing,” presented at the 2023 UN Water Conference. Kovacs’s work integrates policy reform and financial tools for ecosystem restoration, emphasizing small water cycle restoration and climate adaptation.
Michal Kravčík
Co-Founder & Initiative Lead at WATERHOLISTIC
Michal Kravčík, a Slovak water scientist and Goldman Environmental Prize winner, is the founder of People and Water and the Water Holistic Company, Ltd. Co-author of A New Water Paradigm, he advocates for restoring natural water cycles to combat climate change. His Blue Alternative projects saved villages from dam evacuations by showcasing cost-effective, ecosystem-based water solutions. Following Slovakia’s 2010 floods, he led efforts to revitalize 488 municipalities through watershed restoration. Kravčík’s work has gained international recognition, and he continues to engage global policymakers with his Global Action Plan for Natural Water Cycle Restoration to foster climate resilience.
Béla Halasi-Kovacs
Director / SCIAP Research and Development Consulting Ltd.
Béla Halasi-Kovács – director of the SCIAP Ltd. – has twenty-five years experience in pond aquaculture management and fisheries management of Hungarian surface waters. His research area is the community ecology of fishes investigating the main drivers of organization of fish communities in riverine habitats. He also examines the nutrient cycling of fish ponds, evaluates their environmental footprint and additional natural values. As the director of SCIAP Ltd. he organizes the multidisciplinary scientific and consultancy work in the company, leads and participates in freshwater aquaculture development programmes, as well as programmes and studies to achieve good ecological status of natural waters. He provides expertise for responsible use of aquatic resources.
Ariane Blum
Water4All EU Partnership Coordinator
Ariane Blum is the Coordinator of Water4All, an EU partnership uniting 90 partners from 33 countries to
address water research, development, and innovation across Europe. With over 20 years of experience in environmental science and geosciences, Blum has led numerous multi-disciplinary projects and managed scientific teams. Committed to impactful research, she ensures that Water4All’s programs benefit policymakers and communities at various levels, from local watersheds to the European scale.
Launched in June 2022, Water4All engages stakeholders from research funders to local authorities to create significant advancements in water management and policy across Europe.
Ana Gavrilovic
Professor, Head of the Postgraduate professional study of Fisheries, University of Zagreb Faculty of Agriculture
Ana Gavrilović, PhD, is a professor and head of the postgraduate Fisheries program at the University of Zagreb. She is also a visiting professor at the Juraj Dobrila University in Pula. With over 20 years of expertise in aquaculture and fisheries, Ana has led various academic programs and research initiatives in Croatia and abroad. Her interests include aquaculture system design, sustainability, and aquatic biodiversity. She has consulted on international aquaculture projects and worked as an expert with the World Bank. Ana has published 150+ papers, co-authored books, and co-invented patents in aquaculture technology. She is a member of the Restore our Ocean and Waters Mission Board, and a member of the EIFAAC (European Inland Fisheries and Aquaculture Advisory Commission) Technical and Scientific Committee.
Allison O'Reilly
Project Manager, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna (BOKU), representing the DANUBE4all project.
DANUBE4all is working on the development of the Danube Basin Restoration Action Plan (DBRAP), a multidisciplinary initiative aimed at improving ecological health, reducing flood and drought risks, and enhancing sediment continuity while balancing economic and community interests. Championing stakeholder engagement, DANUBE4all promotes citizen science and collaboration. Allison also served as Secretary General for the Association for Professionals in Doctoral Education, advocating for the advancement and professional development of individuals in higher education and doctoral studies management.
Resources
December 18, 2024, Atlantic & Arctic Lighthouse Weekly Hour S01E01 with BIOEAST
Relevant links
The mission of the BIOEAST Initiative is to support the development of knowledge and cooperation based circular bioeconomies to enhance inclusive growth in the BIOEAST countries and also to create new value-added jobs especially in rural areas, maintaining or even strengthening environmental sustainability.
Fresh Water Net is an on-line community enhanced by the BIOEAST macro-regional Thematic Working Group Fresh Water Based Bioeconomy focused on fresh water related issues.