In December 2016, the joint statement of the Expert Commission on the "Energy of the Future" Monitoring Process was published. Ecologic Institute provides scientific support to the work of the Expert Commission with a focus on the key topics that Dr. Hans-Joachim Ziesing and the Expert Commission selected for their joint statement. The joint statement is available for download.

Member States earned close to EUR 12 billion from auctioning in the EU Emissions Trading from 2013 to 2015 with over 80% of the money so far spent on climate action – most of it in the EU. The funding mainly went to renewables, efficiency and cross-cutting programmes. The national reports on the use of auctioning revenues, however, contain mistakes while there seems to be no frequent quality review at present. The summary report is available for download.

The deliverable 10.4 had the aim to summarize and introduce the ECONADAPT Toolbox to potential users in a clear, brief format. It was a useful document for the wider dissemination of the toolbox.

The ECONADAPT data repository was developed to include cost and benefit estimates for adaptation measures and with this support the evaluation of climate adaptation activities on different scales. It contains cost and benefits which were compiled and estimated in the ECONADAPT Case study Work Packages 5-9. Furthermore, it includes information from reviews in the methods oriented WPs. It was developed in a web-based format.

The overall goal of the DESSIN ESS software system is to support users implementing the DESSIN ESS evaluation framework and sustainability assessment. This document describes how the software should do this, from the end-user perspective. The document is organized into so-called "user stories". Each user story describes a task that a user would like the software to perform, and explains why performing the task provides value to the user. The users stories are organized into "epics", which are groups of similar stories. Most of the user stories are written from the perspective of an evaluation lead carrying out an ESS assessment, as this was thought to be the most likely user of the system. The software framework presented here was developed by DHI, ECOLOGIC, SINTEF, and IWW in collaboration with the DESSIN user group, which consists of the demo site representatives who will be the end users of the software.

Scussolini, Paolo; Onno Kuik; Jeroen Aerts et. al. (2016). The Economic Appraisal of Adaptation Investments under Uncertainties: Policy Recommendations, Lessons Learnt and Guidance. ECONADAPT Deliverable 6.4.

Tröltzsch, J., Rouillard, J., Tarpey, J., Lago, M., Watkiss, P., Hunt, A. (2016). The economics of climate change adaptation: Insights into economic assessment methods. ECONADAPT Deliverable 10.2

Rouillard, J., Tröltzsch, J., Tarpey, J., Lago, M., Watkiss, P., Hunt, A. Bosello, F., Ermolieva, T., Goodess, C., Mechler, R., Parrado, R., Sainz de Murieta, E., Scussolini, P. (2016). The economic analysis of climate adaptation: Insights for policy-makers. ECONADAPT deliverable 10.3

To ensure that the aims of the 2030 EU climate and energy framework are met, European leaders agreed to establish a new governance system based an enhanced scheme for national planning and reporting (P&R). In the context of on-going policy discussions surrounding these so-called National Energy and Climate Plans (NECPs), this paper investigates EU Member States' experiences with the existing P&R obligations and identifies important lessons to be considered in the development of the new system. The paper is available for download.

Tröltzsch, Jenny; Josselin Rouillard; Manuel Lago 2016: ECONADAPT Web-Toolbox. ECONADAPT deliverable 10.1.

On 30 October 2016 Canada and the EU signed CETA. Ratification of the agreement will be the next step. A new study by the Ecologic Institute analyses 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. Regulatory cooperation under CETA is voluntary. Regulatory cooperation under CETA has a focus on trade liberalisation and consistency of standards. It does not focus on enhancing environmental protection. The study is available for download.

The report analysed the impact of the EU Adaptation Strategy in 2013 on the development of national, regional and local adaptation strategies in the Member States. For the report, the authors of Ecologic Institute, ICLEI und UCL analysed national, regional and local adaptation policies. The analyses included interviews with two regional governments and a survey to signatories of the initiative MayorsAdapt. The report is available for download.

The AQUACROSS consortium published a report on EU environmental policy synergies. Authors of the report, including Ecologic Institute, analyse these EU policies, specifically aiming to determine: How EU policies and laws contribute to and/or hinder the achievement of EU and international biodiversity targets; and the coherence and/or incoherence of current environmental protection policies affecting the management of aquatic ecosystems. The report is available for download.

In recent decades, and after a gradual improvement in water quality due to wastewater treatment and reduced industrial activities, urban rivers and lakes have become increasingly important in the planning of urban ecology, green infrastructure, green areas and climate change adaptation in European cities. According to a new EEA report, new initiatives for integrated water management in urban areas contribute to making cities greener and more sustainable.