The European Council decided to develop a "reliable and transparent governance system" for the 2030 EU climate and energy policy framework. The European Commission proposed a number of details of the new governance framework. However, neither the European Council nor the Commission specified the relationship between relevant legislation, up-coming legislative processes and this new governance system. Against this backdrop, this paper discusses options and requirements for an effective governance framework for climate and energy policy beyond 2020. The discussion paper is available for download.

Christiane Gerstetter, Senior Fellow at Ecologic Institute, prepared a discussion paper on "The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) and its relevance for global sustainable land use" as part of the GLOBALANDS project. The paper is available for download.

Wunder, Stephanie and Franziska Wolff 2015: International Governance Screening of Global Urban Policies and their Impacts on Sustainable Land Use. Discussion Paper prepared by GLOBALANDS Project. Öko-Institut, Ecologic Institute, Berlin.

Investment protection and investment tribunals are among the most contentious subjects of TTIP and CETA. Could a permanent Court of Arbitration address the problems of ad hoc tribunals? In this comment (German only), Nils Meyer-Ohlendorf discusses the pro and cons of a permanent Court of Arbitration. The comment is available for download. <br /><br /><br /><br />

Since 2007, the European Council has played an increasingly active role in shaping the details of future EU climate policies. This involvement raises important questions about potential interference by the European Council regarding the decision-making process for and content of the implementation of the 2030 climate framework. In a broader perspective, concerns have been raised about the establishment of a constitutional practice, which could in fact circumvent the possibility of adopting implementing acts by qualified majority vote. This would alter the balance of power between the EU institutions. Ecologic Institute's Nils Meyer-Ohlendorf discusses the role and mandate of the European Council. The paper is available for download.

Kemper, Melanie and Mascha Schacht 2015: Konzept Online-Informationsangebot "Umweltverträglicher Pflanzenschutz" – www.uba.de/pflanzenschutz-im-garten-startseite, Berlin, February 2015, unpublished.

This think piece draws together evidence on the state of the economy, society and the environment to show that the EU's multiple challenges may be tackled simultaneously by the use of policy changes to change the direction of market demand. Christian Hudson, the author of this document is Senior Fellow at Ecologic Institute. The document is available for download.

Is the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) the beginning of a new era of investment protection under free trade agreements, one that addresses long standing concerns surrounding investment protection? The answer to these questions is, by and large, no. CETA's investment chapter is not only superfluous but harmful because, among other reasons, it distorts competition at the expense of domestic competitors. The comments of Dr. Nils Meyer-Ohlendorf, Senior Fellow at Ecologic Institute, are available for download.

This discussion paper examines how the first non-governmental environmental policy institutes came to be established, the role of environmental policy research and advice within this evolving landscape, and the factors that shaped the institutes’ establishment and subsequent development. The analysis shows that independent, science-based environmental policy advice only assumed a pivotal role during the second, more defensive phase of German environmental policy from the mid-1970s onwards.

This discussion paper examines how the growing role of the European Union in environmental and energy policy has affected independent environmental policy research and advice in Germany. Since the late 1980s, the European Union (EU) has played an increasingly important role in environmental policy. The Treaty of Lisbon also expanded the EU’s competences in the field of energy policy.

This discussion paper examines the relationship between civil society environmental movements and environmental research institutes and their role in the development of science-based environmental policy advice in Germany. The earliest independent environmental institutes were closely linked to the environmental movement, while later institutes often emerged in response to thematic gaps in environmental research.

Dooley, Elizabeth und Sophie Chapman 2014: Climate-smart agriculture and REDD+ implementation in Kenya. REDD+ Law Project - Briefing Paper. Cambridge Centre for Climate Change Mitigation Research, Cambridge.

Christiane Gerstetter and Max Grünig, Senior Fellows at the Ecologic Institute, have prepared a submission for the EU Commission's online consultation on investment protection in the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP). The submission is available for download.

Jacob, Klaus; Martin Hirschnitz-Garbers; Katrin Bienge et. al. 2014: Strategien und Optionen zur Stärkung der Ressourcenpolitik im Rahmen einer Green Economy. Input-Papier des PolRess-Konsortiums für das Parlamentarische Frühstück, 6. Juni 2014.