On 9 July, the European Bioeconomy Alliance (EUBA) invited EU policy makers and relevant stakeholders to join a discussion forum on the ‘Benefits of the Bioeconomy‘ in Brussels. Guided by two keynote presentations by Céline Charveriat, Executive Director of the Institute for European Environmental Policy and Dirk Carrez, Executive Director of the Bio-based Industries Consortium and speaking on behalf of EUBA, the forum discussed how a strong EU bioeconomy can contribute to achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The forum took place at a critical time — in between discussions on the future of the CAP post 2020 and the update of the EU Bioeconomy Strategy — and aimed to develop recommendations on how the SDGs can be integrated into EU policies and legislative initiatives, with a particular focus on the priorities from 2019 onwards.