The German Resource Efficiency Program (ProgRess) must be considered a milestone in national resource policy. However, scientific findings point to a need to further develop ProgRess in the next legislative period in order to enhance its effectiveness. Dr. Martin Hirschnitz-Garbers was co-author of a brief scientific perspective on this issue. The third PolRess Policy Paper is available for download.

From urban gardening and networks of sharing to community-owned wind farms: citizens' initiatives emerge all over Europe in a quest to find new answers to today's pressing challenges. This policy brief explores new forms of cooperation between local governments and these bottom-up initiatives. It argues that getting involved with initiatives helps local governments to be an active player in their community's change dynamics. This cooperation furthermore requires new ways of engaging and participating between the groups.

This Issue Paper contains final conclusions and recommendations from the workshop "Water Management, Water Framework and Hydropower" which took place in September 2011. Additionally, it provides background information as well as the summary of a questionnaire on hydropower and the WFD filled-in by 24 European States. The paper is available for download.

Climate change will most likely impact the effectiveness and cost of measures to improve water quality. This must be taken into account in the future when selecting measures in accordance with the EU Water Framework Directive (WFD). Until now, the consequences of climate change have not been systematically incorporated into the economic analyses called for by the WFD. A new study in the RADOST focus topic "Water Management and Agriculture" evaluates analytical approaches used to date, thereby contributing to the necessary discussion on how existing and future programs could consider and integrate the consequences of climate change. The report is available online.

Electric vehicles have the potential for significant contributions towards achieving the EU’s climate protection goals in the transport sector. However, the environmental impacts of a large scale introduction of electric vehicles are still unknown. This project has developed scenarios for the increased dissemination of electric vehicles in the EU until 2050 and formulated policy recommendations from these findings. The full report of this project is available for download.

This paper, presented during the Sixth Biennial International Conference of the European Community Studies Association in 1999, examines the implications of the planned EU enlargement for European environmental policy.

In his article in the "Zeitschrift für Umweltrecht," Nils Meyer-Ohlendorf (Ecologic Institute) analyzes what consequences the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe would have for environmental policy. This treaty was signed in 2004 but did not come into force as it was not ratified. The author focuses on the institutional architecture of the European Union, which would undergo some changes due to the treaty.

In this study, Ecologic Institute researchers Timo Kaphengst and Lucy Smith summarize the advantages and disadvantages of the increasing share of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in developing countries. The accrued benefits and/or disadvantages vary widely across the reviewed countries and depend on the governance structures of each country. On the one hand, GM crops can increase export revenues; on the other hand, developing countries' resulting dependency on Western biotechnology companies could grow and threaten local farmers, especially smaller ones. Moreover, GMOs are leading to a reduction in biodiversity. In light of this, the authors recommend that GM crops no longer be promoted in developing countries. The study is available for download.

In this book chapter, Sandra Cavalieri and R. Andreas Kraemer of Ecologic Institute present policy options for the EU and the US for addressing challenges in the changing Arctic, summarizing key findings of the transatlantic Arctic Transform dialogue. The book "Environmental Security in the Arctic Ocean" documents the proceedings of the 2010 NATO Advanced Research Workshop (ARW) in Cambridge, England, that was initiated and co-convened by Ecologic Institute.

Ecologic Institute led a study examining how regional and local authorities contribute to the objectives of the Europe 2020 strategy by transforming their energy systems. The report, which was commissioned by the Committee of Regions, aims to propose a set of recommendations for future improvements of the program. The study is available for download.

The European Union needs a common vision for its energy future. A shift towards renewable energy sources will increase security of supply, improve the competitiveness of the European economy, and put Europe on a path towards sustainability. The Heinrich Böll Foundation commissioned a working group of experts from different backgrounds to provide a collection of policy ideas for two key areas that will define the future of renewable energy development in Europe: grids, and support and remuneration schemes for renewable energy technologies. The report 'A European Union for Renewable Energy' was co-authored by Sascha Müller-Kraenner, Partner of Ecologic Institute and Susanne Langsdorf, researcher at Ecologic Institute. The study is available for download.

On 9-10 February 2012, DG Environment of the European Commission organized the 2nd Stakeholder Workshop for the Fitness Check of EU Freshwater Policy in Brussels. Lessons learned from this workshop contribute to the design and assessment of policy options for the Blueprint to Safeguard Europe's Water Resources. Eleftheria Kampa and Johanna von der Weppen contributed a discussion paper to the conference. The paper is available for download.

EU progress towards sustainable development goes side by side with fostering green growth. Here resource productivity has an important role to play. Yet its measurement could have some interpretation pitfalls and it is important to be aware of them.

This video is one out of four that were developed and produced within the project EU sustainable development indicators: video production, co-ordinated by the Ecologic Institute.

This new handbook was developed as part of the project RADOST (Regional Adaptation Strategies for the German Baltic Sea Coast). It provides a concise overview of adaptation policies being planned and implemented at the national, regional, and European level, including the status of National Adaptation Strategies for all Baltic Sea EU Member States.