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 study investigates the prevailing theories about the effect of trade openness on environmental quality and resource management, providing new insights and empirical support to refute some of these theories. It builds on data collected through the Yale-Columbia 2010 Environmental Performance Index (EPI), which covers 163 countries and an extensive database of trade-related measures from academic and international sources. Senior fellow Tanja Srebotnjak contributed statistical analyses to the study. It is available for download.

The study addresses the following aspects: 1. Identification of the types of costs associated with biodiversity policy in the EU: both direct and indirect as well as opportunity costs. 2. A review of the available literature to find any gaps in the cost analysis – such as the opportunity costs of conversion to other uses – and to assess the extent of these gaps. 3. An estimate of the total economic costs of biodiversity policy (including opportunity costs) in the EU. 4. Information on how to systematically fill any such gap in the future and on the methodologies that can be used to comprehensively address all types of economic costs.

Srebotnjak, Tanja; Eva Hizsnyik und Ferenc Toth 2011: Quantitative Analysis of Mainstream Economic Indicators and Selected Alternative Measures. Deliverable 3.2.

The study "An Assessment of the Balancing of EU Development Objectives with Other Policies and Priorities", to which Ecologic Institutes scientists Christiane Gerstetter and Jenny Kirschey contributed, evaluates the coherence between the EU's development policies and its other policies. Its authors describe the positive and negative impacts of these policies on development priorities and provide recommendations to achieve better policy coherence. The study was commissioned by the European Parliament and is available for download.

The report provides an overview of the environmental relevance of the largest fields of expenditure within the EU budget. It assesses the sustainability level of key budget items in the EU sectoral policies. It also provides recommendations in the context of a potential reform of subsidies that would contribute to the alignment of the EU budget towards a more sustainable growth as called in the EU 2020 Strategy.

The scope of this study is to make a progressive contribution to a better understanding of the social aspects of biodiversity as well as of the disproportionate risk of biodiversity loss to certain groups of people across countries in different world regions.

Homeyer, Ingmar von; Sirini Withana et. al. 2011: Final Report for the Assessment of the 6th Environment Action Programme.

Further development of combined heat and power plants (CHP), which would serve to promote climate protection, still lacks clear political support. This is the conclusion of a study on the profitability of CHP conducted by Hans-Joachim Ziesing, Senior Policy Advisor at Ecologic Institute, and Felix Matthes on behalf of the Association of Municipally Enterprises (VKU) in Germany.

Ecologic Institute led a study examining adaptation strategies in large cities and metropolitan areas across the European Union. A print version of the report is now available in English and French. The study, which was commissioned by the Committee of the Regions, aims to identify best practices at the levels of both strategies and individual adaptation measures. It is targeted at local and regional administrators and interested stakeholders.

Ecologic Institute, represented by Tanja Srebotnjak and Sebastian Veit, completed a study commissioned by the European Parliament (EP) on the use of radioactively contaminated materials in the construction of residential dwellings in Gabon and Niger. In particular, the study examines practices in the disposal of materials discarded in the mining of uranium in these two countries and is based, inter alia, on a fact-finding mission to Gabon by Sebastian Veit.

Doris Knoblauch and Alexander Neubauer of Ecologic Institute analyse which EU and international policies can be informed by the three Footprint Indicators (Ecological, Carbon, and Water Footprints). Furthermore, the report uses the RACER and SWOT analysis to evaluate the indicators' robustness, their usefulness for assessing progress towards the policy objectives and the possibilities for their integration into policy making.

2010: Supporting the Thematic Strategy on Waste Prevention and Recycling, Final Report. IEEP, ECOLOGIC, ARCADIS, UBA, BIO INTELLIGENCE SERVICES, VITO.

Gantioler S., Rayment M., Bassi S., Kettunen M., McConville A., Landgrebe R., Gerdes H., ten Brink P.: Costs and Socio-Economic Benefits associated with the Natura 2000 Network. Final report to the European Commission, DG Environment on Contract ENV.B.2/SER/2008/0038. Institute for European Environmental Policy / GHK / Ecologic, Brussels 2010.

Do the National Renewable Energy Action Plans concerning Member States' goals for 2020 address the long-term restructuring of electricity generation? Do they consider possibilities for European cooperation? Dr. Stephan Sina and Katharina Umpfenbach of the Ecologic Institute examined these questions in their analysis of the German Renewable Energy Action Plan commissioned by the European Green Foundation.