The EU’s Carbon Removals and Carbon Farming (CRCF) Regulation has established a framework for the certification of carbon farming. Yet credible certificates alone will not create demand. In an article published in Ökologisches Wirtschaften, Aaron Scheid of Ecologic Institute explains why binding climate targets for the agricultural sector are also needed.

How can companies reliably demonstrate how much recycled material a plastic product contains and where the recyclate comes from? A study commissioned by the German Environment Agency (UBA) identified 34 certification schemes operated by organisations based in Germany, elsewhere in Europe and beyond Europe. Ten were selected for in-depth analysis, including ISCC PLUS, RecyClass, the Global Recycled Standard (GRS), flustix RECYCLED – DIN-Geprüft, a certification scheme involving testing by DIN CERTCO., as well as schemes operated by organisations in France, Italy, Belgium and the United States.

Although pharmaceuticals are indispensable for public healthcare, their environmental impacts are rarely considered during prescribing or dispensing. A newly developed Environmental Pharmaceutical Index (EPI) aims to integrate environmental information systematically into pharmaceutical and medical decision-making. The objective is to balance therapeutical needs and environmental impacts by supporting the selection of therapeutically equivalent medicines with lower environmental impacts without compromising patient care.

Geopolitical tensions, volatile energy markets and the focus on strategic autonomy have pushed industrial competitiveness to the top of the political agenda. European climate policy therefore requires close coordination between emissions reduction, investment security and competitiveness. In a background paper, Ariadne researchers summarise how governance, financing, industrial transformation, the EU Emissions Trading Scheme and energy infrastructure need to simultaneously ensure decarbonisation, economic resilience and public support.

The brief links these findings to concrete recommendations for implementing Regulation (EC) No 1107/2009 more effectively. These include updating EFSA guidance and the data requirements under Regulations (EU) No 283/2013 and 284/2013, expanding the use of sensitive species and endpoints, improving assessments of pesticide mixtures and environmental fate, and better integrating non-dietary exposure and vulnerable life stages into regulatory testing. Many of these improvements could therefore be introduced within the existing EU approval framework.

Europe’s climate movement has adopted different approaches to engaging with far-right parties. In this Tagesspiegel opinion piece, Nils Meyer-Ohlendorf of the Ecologic Institute and Erik Tang of Green Transition Denmark discuss these approaches and draw conclusions. The views expressed are solely those of the authors.

Published as a Comment in Nature Reviews Biodiversity in 2026, the article "Implementation of the EU Nature Restoration Regulation requires a shift from restoration targets to restoration landscapes" explores the next phase of implementing the EU Nature Restoration Regulation. Daniel Hering, Benjamin Kupilas and Rafaela Schinegger argue that achieving the Regulation's ambitious objectives now requires a shift from setting restoration targets to developing spatially coordinated restoration landscapes, supported by effective governance, strategic spatial planning, sustainable financing and strong stakeholder engagement.

ECNO’s 2026 State of EU Progress to Climate Neutrality report provides a comprehensive assessment of whether the European Union is moving quickly enough to meet its climate goals. Drawing on a broad set of indicators and policy analysis, the report evaluates progress across the economy and identifies where stronger implementation could reduce exposure to fossil fuel dependence, supply-chain vulnerabilities, affordability challenges and climate-related risks.

The white paper brings together evidence and recommendations from seven EU-funded projects, including RESTORE4Cs. The paper highlights the urgent need to accelerate wetland conservation and restoration across Europe, as degraded wetlands continue to drive biodiversity loss, weaken water resilience, and turn ecosystems that can store carbon into sources of greenhouse gas emissions.

The paper assesses four policy options for integrating Article 6 credits into the EU ETS through a central intermediary rather than allowing companies to purchase credits directly. It argues that this indirect approach would provide greater oversight of credit quality and supply, helping to preserve the EU ETS's role in driving domestic emissions reductions while offering limited flexibility where appropriate. 

The European Commission’s proposed Omnibus Simplification Package aims to streamline the authorisation of pesticides and reduce regulatory burdens within the European Union. However, a new Policy Forum article published in Science argues that the proposal could significantly weaken environmental risk assessment procedures and increase risks to biodiversity and human health. According to the authors, the current EU pesticide framework already contains important gaps, including insufficient consideration of impacts on many non-target organisms, cumulative effects of multiple pesticides, and sublethal ecological impacts. Rather than addressing these shortcomings, the Omnibus proposal may exacerbate them.

This report examines the penalty provisions contained in the revised Draft Emergency Ordinance (DEO) proposed by the Romanian government in April 2026 to implement the EU Methane Emissions Regulation (EUMR).

How can Europe finance large-scale ecosystem restoration at a time of growing pressure on public budgets? A new Biodiversa+ policy brief explores how well-designed Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) can help mobilise private investment while safeguarding ecological integrity and delivering long-term societal benefits. Building on the EU Nature Restoration Regulation, the brief outlines practical recommendations to create investment-ready restoration projects, strengthen public-private collaboration, and establish the policy conditions needed to scale up private financing for nature restoration across Europe.

This paper argues that there is no plausible basis for the introduction of a “grace period” in respect of infringements of Article 27 of the EU Methane Emissions Regulation (EUMR), as proposed in a recently leaked draft European Commission Recommendation.

Researchers at Ecologic Institute have developed a new tool to help governments to produce socially just climate adaptation strategies. The Just2Adapt tool allows the user to analyse the justice dimensions of Heat Action Plans at the strategic level as well as at the level of individual measures. It is important that heat adaptation strategies integrate social justice considerations because of the unequal way in which the heat-health effects of climate change are distributed across the population.

This study develops a proposal for a comprehensive revision of the German Federal Soil Protection Act (Bundes-Bodenschutzgesetz, BBodSchG) and presents a fully drafted legislative text.

MEER:STARK provides practical recommendations and an integrated framework for strengthening the resilience of the North Sea and Baltic Sea to climate-related impacts. The project demonstrates that effective marine conservation and climate adaptation should be addressed jointly rather than as separate policy domains. By linking ecological restoration, adaptive governance, nature-based solutions, and participatory management approaches, the project offers a foundation for developing more coherent and resilient marine policies in the future.