9. Maintains that one of the bioeconomy’s guiding principles is to enhance resource efficiency and reduce dependence on imported raw materials and energy and non-renewable natural resources; points to the importance of the forest sector and other bio-based industry and maintains that carbon-neutral renewable natural resources and raw materials, such as wood and wood fibre, can replace non-renewable fossil raw materials; points ou ...[+++]t that the bioeconomy industry produces many high added-value products, such as chemicals, medicines, plastics and other innovative new materials and that it creates jobs; highlights the potential of biotechnologies based on marine resources;

The forestry industry depends on one main resource: wood.

Skills, education and professional training 33.Regrets that the SBA does not pay enough attention to social and labour market issues that affect entrepreneurship and SMEs' capacities to fulfil their employment potential and recruit labour force with the appropriate skills; 34.Recognises that growth and innovation are largely driven by entrepreneurial SMEs; emphasises that more attention should be devoted to fostering the development of an entrepreneurial mindset at all levels of education and training, employing innovative methods such as real mini-companies in secondary education; emphasises the importance of supporting the development of the manag ...[+++]erial and digital skills that small businesses require to be successful in the current market environment; 35.Calls on the Commission and the Member States to develop and promote initiatives supporting better identification and forecasting of SMEs' skill needs, in particular to enable them to operate in a more sustainable way, and to develop strategies for entrepreneurship education and professional training based on best practice from Member States; 36.Calls on the Commission to put the ´ Erasmus programmes for young entrepreneurs´ programme on a permanent footing with a sufficient budget, based on the very encouraging results of the preparatory action even though it is still running on a limited scale; Resource efficiency 37.Welcomes the recognition by the Commission that SMEs have a key role to play in the transition to a resource-efficient economy; believes that meeting resource-efficiency objectives requires a value-chain approach; therefore, calls on the Commission for the establishment of sectoral SMEs coordinated projects and activities aiming at identifying potential resource-efficient innovations within the value and supply chains; 38.Welcomes the Commission proposal to adopt an Eco-innovation Action Plan; calls for ambitious measures supporting SMEs in introducing eco-innovative solutions at all stage ...

Skills, education and professional training 33.Regrets that the SBA does not pay enough attention to social and labour market issues that affect entrepreneurship and SMEs' capacities to fulfil their employment potential and recruit labour force with the appropriate skills; 34.Recognises that growth and innovation are largely driven by entrepreneurial SMEs; emphasises that more attention should be devoted to fostering the development of an entrepreneurial mindset at all levels of education and training, employing innovative methods such as real mini-companies in secondary education; emphasises the importance of supporting the development of the manag ...[+++]erial and digital skills that small businesses require to be successful in the current market environment; 35.Calls on the Commission and the Member States to develop and promote initiatives supporting better identification and forecasting of SMEs' skill needs, in particular to enable them to operate in a more sustainable way, and to develop strategies for entrepreneurship education and professional training based on best practice from Member States; 36.Calls on the Commission to put the ´ Erasmus programmes for young entrepreneurs´ programme on a permanent footing with a sufficient budget, based on the very encouraging results of the preparatory action even though it is still running on a limited scale; Resource efficiency 37.Welcomes the recognition by the Commission that SMEs have a key role to play in the transition to a resource-efficient economy; believes that meeting resource-efficiency objectives requires a value-chain approach; therefore, calls on the Commission for the establishment of sectoral SMEs coordinated projects and activities aiming at identifying potential resource-efficient innovations within the value and supply chains; 38.Welcomes the Commission proposal to adopt an Eco-innovation Action Plan; calls for ambitious measures supporting SMEs in introducing eco-innovative solutions at all stage ...

I know how very difficult it is in a huge country like ours, natural resource based in its economy, with every region of the country depending on primary resource industries that over a period of time seem to be getting deeper into trouble, but when we talk about even the concept of linkage, it causes problems right across the country.

Because of the chance of geography, Cape Breton never developed a critical mass of manufacturing industries or sophisticated service industries to round out the dependence on these traditional mineral-based industries.