Contents:

1. Regulatory Cooperation under CETA – Publication
2. EU Accession to CITES – Publication
3. Seafood in Europe – Publication
4. Climate Change in Germany – Publication
5. Soils2Sea: Reducing Nutrient Loadings into the Baltic Sea – Documentary Film
6. Rivers and Lakes in European Cities – Publication
7. BASE Case Studies at Climate-ADAPT Platform – News
8. Offsetting in the Aviation Sector – Publication
9. Environmental Issues in EU Impact Assessments – Workshop
10. Assessment System for Civil Society Initiatives to Measure Sustainability and Transformative Potential – Workshop

1. Regulatory Cooperation under CETA – Publication

   On 30 October 2016 Canada and the EU signed CETA. Ratification of the agreement will be the next step. This new study by the Ecologic Institute analyzes the environmental implications of regulatory cooperation under CETA. The study finds that CETA establishes a comprehensive institutional framework for regulatory cooperation between Canada and the EU and sets primarily procedural obligations. CETA does not contain detailed obligations that predetermine specific outcomes of regulatory cooperation. At the same time, however, regulatory cooperation under CETA has a focus on trade liberalization and consistency of rules across borders. It has no focus on enhancing environmental protection. The study is available for download.

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2. EU Accession to CITES – Publication

   The objective of this briefing was to provide members with an overview of the key issues at stake at the CITES COP 17 and to introduce the new role of the EU as a single party entity. A short overview of the history of CITES is provided, along with the current positions of the main parties on key issues of importance. The brief also identifies main conclusions and recommendations for members of the ENVI Committee and is available for download.

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3. Seafood in Europe – Publication

   This report, prepared by the EEA and Ecologic Institute, builds on a food system approach to explore the knowledge base as well as the mesh of actors and activities that enable the EU to produce, trade and consume seafood. It then further assesses the implications of such a food system analysis for EU policy and knowledge development as a means to transform Europe's food system in line with sustainability goals. The report identifies three complementary pathways in the current EU food and seafood related policy framework and the related knowledge base that can help support a more functional system. The report is available for download.

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4. Climate Change in Germany – Publication

   In November 2016, the latest climate report for Germany, entitled "Climate Change in Germany: Development, Consequences, Risks and Perspectives", was published. Marking a unique departure from previous approaches, the report assesses climate change in Germany from an interdisciplinary and comprehensive perspective, taking all societal issues and sectors into account. The 126 authors cover issues such as already observed and prospective changes, weather calamities and their consequences, risks for the future and options for the advancement of adaptation strategies. Dr. Grit Martinez of Ecologic Institute is co-author of the report's chapter on story line options for a transformative climate adaptive society in Germany. The climate report is available for download.

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5. Soils2Sea: Reducing Nutrient Loadings into the Baltic Sea – Documentary Film

   This documentary film illustrates the societal story of implementing the EU's nitrate directive at regional realities in the EU member states and in particular in the Kocinka catchment area in south central Poland. The movie was developed and produced by Dr. Grit Martinez (Ecologic Institute) and Anne Berrini (berrini films) with support from Dr. Przemyslaw Wachniew (AGH University of Science and Technology Krakow) and is available via Ecologic Institute's YouTube channel.

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6. BASE Case Studies at Climate-ADAPT Platform – News

   Twenty-three case studies conducted within the BASE project analyzed responses to and adaptation strategies for climate change impacts on different geographical regions and various sectors. The BASE case studies provide insights into the status-quo of adaptation in Europe as well as comparable data on the effectiveness, costs and benefits, implementation challenges and successes of different responses. BASE researchers cooperated with the European Environment Agency (EEA) to make the knowledge gathered accessible and useable for decision-makers at all levels. Case studies and project findings were integrated into the publically available European Climate Adaptation Platform (Climate-ADAPT).

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7. Rivers and Lakes in European Cities – Publication

   This report describes water management issues related to rivers and lakes and outlines the ways in which European cities develop strategies and measures to cope with the key challenges they currently face in relation to their inland surface waters. It makes use of 17 case studies on urban river and lake restoration to illustrate important aspects of urban and water management. The report draws important lessons learned from the reviewed case studies and frames key contextual issues that are potentially relevant to different urban settings across Europe. The report is available for download.

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8. Offsetting in the Aviation Sector – Publication

   Offsetting is viewed as a mechanism that can help curb the growing emissions from the aviation sector. A new report from Ecologic Institute investigates the ways in which air carriers currently engage in offsetting, with a focus on the offset project types, credits and entities involved. It consolidates evidence of offsetting practices from over 30 air carriers. The report is available for download.

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9. Environmental Issues in EU Impact Assessments – Workshop

   Impact Assessment (IA) is an essential process in the world of policy-making, and, at the EU level, a requirement for every new policy project. The Federal Environmental Agency (UBA) led a study to analyze the consideration for environmental impacts in these studies and whether there were lessons to learn for Germany. Ecologic Institute collaborated with Zurich-based INFRAS to scrutinize a sample of IAs published by the European Commission and analyze emerging trends. UBA and the consulting team then organized a workshop in Brussels to discuss their findings with representatives of European institutions and IA experts. The presentation slides by Ecologic Institute and INFRAS are available for download.

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10. Assessment System for Sustainability and Transformative Potential of Civil Society Initiatives – Workshop

    On 13 September 2016, an expert workshop on civil society initiatives, sustainability and transformation took place in Berlin. At the workshop, about 30 participants from science, policy, foundations and sustainability initiatives discussed the first draft of a criteria catalogue for measuring and presenting the societal benefit of niche sustainability initiatives, especially their sustainability and transformative potential. Stephanie Wunder, Senior Fellow at Ecologic Institute, presented the assessment system.

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