Michael Losch

The EU Bioeconomy Strategy: Contributing to climate neutrality, sustainability and competitiveness.

Dr. Michael Losch is principal administrator and coordinator for bioeconomy in DG Agriculture and Rural Development. He is an economist with a focus on industry and competition policy, competitiveness, innovation and energy transition. He studied at the Wirtschaftsuniversität Wien and at HEC in Paris.

Building on his doctoral thesis about “Competition-oriented Regulation of Electricity Supply Industries” Michael Losch became, in 1997, civil servant in the European Commission, starting in DG Energy and then five years as a Member of Cabinet of Agriculture Commissioner Franz Fischler. From 2004 to 2016 he served for twelve years as Austrian Director General for Economic Policy, Innovation and Technology, covering a broad range of functions and policies ranging from EU Competitiveness Council, competition and state aid policy, to national innovation, venture capital and start-up promotion schemes.

From 2016 to 2020 he served as Austrian Director General for Energy and Mining, where he initiated the “Hydrogen Initiative” during the Austrian EU Presidency 2018, contributed to the finalization of the “EU Clean Energy Package” and developed the “Austrian Renewable Energy Expansion Act”.

From 2021 to June 2023 Michael Losch was Special Envoy for Green Industrial Policy at the Austrian Permanent Representation to the European Union, with the mission to develop and support, in the context of the European Green Deal, transition pathways for energy- and emission-intensive industries towards climate neutrality.

Michael Losch is also board member of the Austrian Chapter of the Club of Rome, the World Energy Council Austria and the Institute for Advanced Studies - IHS.

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Part of the MCI Sustainabilitäy week 2026: https://www.mci4me.at/en/sustainability-week