What progress have EU Member States made in implementing the Water Framework Directive between the first (2009) to the second cycle (2015) of river basin management planning? A consultant's report co-authored by Ecologic Institute is provides initial insights on the basis of a screening assessment of the second River Basin Management Plans draft, prepared for the fourth European Water Conference. The report is available for download.

One facet of the "European Union Action to Fight Environmental Crime" (EFFACE) project, coordinated by Ecologic Institute, is research on the instruments, actors, and institutions involved in the fight against environmental crime. The overall work consists of a main report and a variety of studies, focusing on specific legal provisions, institutions, and actors at the national, EU, and international levels. The reports by Ecologic Institute and other institutions are available for download.

This manual focuses on the site specific evaluation of the efficiency of fish protection and bypass systems. Standardized evaluation principles are defined to promote significant, comparable studies. The manual constitutes a framework for an objective evaluation process. The developed planning, investigation and evaluation processes provide a base for consistent study results to improve the scientific knowledge and to optimize effective site specific solutions.

The Ecologic Institute analysed stakeholder submissions to the European Commission's public consultation on fishing opportunities for 2015. The consultation generated widespread interest from a range of stakeholders: the fishing sector, public authorities, scientists, fisheries advisory councils, citizens and NGOs. The evaluation demonstrates that stakeholders are concerned by overfishing and that most of them have a good understanding of the issues at stake, including of the objective to recover fish stocks to levels above those capable of producing the maximum sustainable yield (MSY). The report is available for download.

This report shows the results from the implementation of the MCA in eight RISC-KIT cases that highlights several key lessons for future DRR projects with regards to a) the importance of sufficient preparation for participatory sessions; b) stakeholder interaction and inclusion in the DRR projects; c) the way research results are presented to non-research communities; d) and the challenges of implementing single-approaches to diverse contexts.

The European Commission and the Council call for increased regional cooperation between Member States. In addition to strengthening the internal market, this cooperation is meant to facilitate the implementation of the EU 2030 energy efficiency and renewable targets. In this policy paper, Ecologic Institute's Katharina Umpfenbach, Andreas Graf and Camilla Bausch take a closer look at the existing landscape of regional institutions in the European electricity sector to explore their potential contribution to an effective future governance framework. The policy paper is available for download.

Impacts of environmental policy often only occur in the long term and there is no market price to value them. How can costs and benefits of these measures be evaluated and compared anyway? This working guide provides support for legislation impact assessment and supports the quantification of the impacts of environmental policies on environment and economy. The guide is available for download.

This document provides a state-of-the-art review to support the conceptual and practical development of the DESSIN ESS Evaluation Framework. It briefly presents the state of affairs regarding the measurement of changes in ESS, including description of existing classification systems, analytical frameworks and economic valuation methodologies. The challenges associated with spatial and temporal variations of ESS are considered and an approach to define and measure sustainability is presented. Finally, the next steps in the work plan of Work Area 1 are outlined.

Dimitrova, Asya; Anna Dimitrova; Markus Hametner and Tanja Srebotnjak 2014: Blueprint for a Revised Europe 2020 strategy: preliminary study.

This study developed a Technical Guidance for the managing authorities of Rural Development Programs (RDPs) on how to further mainstream new and innovative climate actions in RDPs. The study was commissioned by the Directorate General for Climate Action and led by Ecologic Institute. The study report, which includes the Technical Guidance, is available for download.

This thematic issue highlights recent research focusing on the interaction of ecological, economic, and social objectives in coastal management and policy making. It covers various experiences in regards to the management and implementation of the European Union's key policy initiatives. The research presented and emphasized the need for coordinated and clear management roles between institutions and government levels as well as the importance of trust and involvement of local stakeholders. Benjamin Boteler of Ecologic Institute was the guest editor. The publication is available for download.

On 3 December 2014, the first progress report from the Federal Government and a joint statement from the Expert Commission about the "Energy of the Future" monitoring process were presented. Ecologic Institute supports the work of the Expert Commission by providing scientific input. The joint statement from the Expert Commission is available for download.

Lambert, A. / Hirschnitz-Garbers, M. / Wilts, H. / v. Gries, N. (2014): Politikinstrumente zur Umsetzung von Rücknahmesystemen im Bereich Elektrogeräte. Kurzanalyse AP2 im Projekt Ressourcenpolitik: Analyse der ressourcenpolitischen Debatte und Entwicklung von Politikoptionen (PolRess).

The relationship between biodiversity and human wellbeing is multifaceted and assumes diverse forms across and within populations. In developing countries, for example, biodiversity and natural resources often constitute the basis of people’s livelihoods and thus their material wellbeing. Many individuals also feel a cultural, spiritual, or religious relationship with nature and assign it an inherent value. This study explores these diverse perceptions of biodiversity and its value. The findings serve to advance discussions on how development cooperation can more effectively integrate these views and therewith improve biodiversity and nature conservation. The study is available for download.

In this report by Ecologic Institute, the authors analyze the conditions for accessing the main European trading centers for emission allowances. The authors examine possible interactions between the primary and secondary markets and question whether a relationship between the price developments on the primary and the secondary market exists. The comprehensive empirical survey also represents the acquisition channels of German plant operators in the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (EU-ETS). The report is available for download.