Circular Economy Policies in Europe: Assessing Regional Policy Integration

This report explores the integration of Circular Economy (CE) principles into regional and national policies across Europe, emphasising the benefits of resource efficiency, waste reduction, and job creation, alongside the challenges of implementation, particularly for regional actors.

Key findings include the significance of tailoring CE strategies to local and regional contexts, leveraging funding mechanisms and territorial cooperation to address disparities, and fostering innovation through business models and networks. The report also identifies persistent gaps in regulatory frameworks, financial resources, policy coherence, and capacity-building, which hinder progress.

Recommendations for enhancing CE adoption focus on strengthening governance structures, providing targeted financial support, and fostering public-private partnerships. The importance of integrating CE metrics into monitoring frameworks to measure progress and align with broader sustainability goals is also underlined.

For Switzerland, the report underscores opportunities to advance CE through its New Regional Policy and regional development frameworks. Specific actions include promoting regional CE portfolios, supporting cross-border collaborations, and enhancing data systems for monitoring and evaluation. Drawing on best practices from across Europe, Switzerland can accelerate its transition to CE by aligning national strategy with its unique regional characteristics.