The MILESECURE 2050 Energy Day in Brussels presented major findings from the research project. Members of the consortium, Giancarlo Cotella (POLITO) and Gabriele Quinti (LSC), presented position papers on energy security trends in Europe and sociological drivers in energy transitions. Ecologic Institute contributed key research to these reports. The presentations launched a discussion among policy makers, researchers, and other experts to consider new energy perspectives in policy making and long-term planning.

On 17 June 2014, a project workshop on 'Mainstreaming climate change into rural development policy post 2013' took place at the European Commission in Brussels. Organized by Ecologic Institute in cooperation with DG Climate Action, the workshop provided an opportunity to present and discuss the draft technical guidance for Member States on how to design and integrate new and innovative climate actions in rural development programs. All presentations are available for download.

On 6 June 2014, Max Grünig, Senior Fellow at Ecologic Institute, presented the analysis of the environment and development performacen of 21 European countries prepared based on the Commitment to Development Index 2013 by the Center for Global Development at The Centre in Brussels. The draft report is available for download. Comments and feedback are much appreciated.

On 3 June 2014, Max Grünig, Senior Fellow at Ecologic Institute, contributed to an policy dialogue by the European Policy Centre (EPC) in Brussels on the potential impacts of Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) under a Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) between the EU and the US on the environment. Max Grünig presented evidence from past ISDS proceedings, focussing on cases with a direct link to the environment.

Over 25 members of the ELEEP Network met in Brussels and The Netherlands from 14 until 18 May 2014. The Members engaged in a variety of activities, with a specific focus on discussing the organizational and substantive evolution of the ELEEP Network. This face-to-face consideration of how to implement an action-oriented, policy-relevant network – that remains both professionally and personally rewarding – will inform an ongoing discussion of ELEEP’s next steps with the two coordinating organizations (Ecologic Institute and Atlantic Council), as well as the rest of the members in the ELEEP network, over the coming months.

On 1 and 2 April 2014, Christiane Gerstetter, Senior Fellow on the Ecologic Institute's legal team, gave two presentations in Brussels on investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) in the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP). She concluded that including ISDS in TTIP would entail incalculable risks for environmental regulation that are not counter-balanced by benefits. She therefore recommended not to include ISDS provisions in TTIP. The presentations are available for download.

Insights from the CECILIA2050 research project were discussed at a high-level expert conference in Brussels on 6 March 2014, convening around 80 participants from industry, NGOs, academia and governments engaged in the discussions on the present and future climate policy mix. The conference featured the main results of the first part of the CECILIA2050 project, which provided a stock-taking and ex-post evaluation of climate policies in Europe.

The first online, freely available atlas of freshwater biodiversity was launched on January 29 at the landmark Science Policy Symposium for Freshwater Life, which brought together European Union policy makers and freshwater scientists. The scientific information platform was created to support the protection and sustainable management of inland waters as an output of BioFresh, and EU-funded project in which Ecologic Institute participates.

The PHARMAS project organized a Science-Policy Event in Brussels on Pharmaceuticals in the Environment. Several European, national, and international projects presented their results – from the perspective of their relevance to environmental policy – to interested stakeholders. All presentation slides, summaries, and statements are available for download.