Circular economy’s ability to improve security in focus at annual conference

The annual European Circular Economy Stakeholder Platform (ECESP) conference took place in Brussels on 22-23 April 2026. One of the main topics was the upcoming EU Circular Economy Act (CEA), which aims to establish a single market for secondary raw materials, increase the supply of high-quality recycled materials and stimulate demand for these materials within the EU.

Improving security with the circular economy

Circularity can bring environmental, economic and social benefits, but its ability to improve security and resilience were much in discussion among participants at the conference.

“We are meeting at a time of deep geopolitical and economic instability… In the past, the circularity discussion focused mainly on waste management. Today the agenda is broader and more strategic,” said Jessika Roswall, the European Commissioner for environment, water resilience and a competitive circular economy in her opening speech.

Former Italian prime minister Enrico Letta, dean of IE University and president of the Jacques Delors Institute further developed this theme:

“To be more independent, we need a more effective circular economy… Today in Brussels and in all the European capitals the three top priorities are security, security and security. It is fundamental to link what we are discussing here to this security priority. What we are discussing here is a matter of security to Europe.”

“Critical raw materials are necessary for the green transition. The circular economy is one solution to improve our resilience and improve raw material security,” explains Kari Herlevi, director for Sitra’s circular economy programme and conference participant.

Stalled transition needs a jump-start

Advancing the circular economy is more important than ever, but the troubling fact is that Europe’s circular transition has stalled, due in part to structural market failures which have yet to be properly addressed.

“Only around 12% of the materials used in the European economy come from recycled sources,” Roswall said. “Secondary raw materials do not always compete on equal terms with virgin materials. Quality, availability and predictability are not always there. And investment decisions are still held back by fragmentation, uncertainty and weak market signals… That is why the Circular Economy Act later this year will be so important.”

Sitra has published a memorandum of recommendations for the CEA, while Herlevi has also written an editorial about the act which was published at Euractiv.

“The ambition is there; the challenge is execution,” he says. “We have to scale markets, strengthen global value chains and build institutions to make circularity an economic reality.”

Collaboration platform introduced to participants

One such initiative is the EU Circular Economy Resource Centre (EU CERC), which serves as a collaboration platform between the EU and partner countries. It is jointly implemented by Sitra and the Belgian agency for international cooperation Enabel.

“EU CERC was presented at the conference,” says Herlevi. “It is a concrete response to global challenges. It seeks to prepare markets for circularity, shape demand and build partnerships, particularly between groups who might not naturally collaborate.”

EU CERC was positioned as a transition broker that facilitates building collaborations for forming partnerships, sharing expertise and experience between Europe and the Global South. As many value chains are inherently global, facilitators are needed at global, local and sectoral levels.

Needed market catalyst

“I was impressed by the conference participants and by the general agreement that the CEA can be the market catalyst we need,” Herlevi says. “It can strengthen resilience, competitiveness and reduce dependence on imported critical raw materials.”

First held in 2017, the ECESP Conference is the flagship event of the European Circular Economy Stakeholder Platform, a joint initiative of the European Commission and the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC). In 2024, their annual conference was organised back-to-back with the World Circular Economy Forum, bringing to the forum a dedicated track showcasing Europe’s progress.