After almost two years of work led by Ecologic Institute on the project NETwork for GREEN Economy Indicators (NETGREEN), the initiative's main output was unveiled: a database for Green Economy indicators. Actually, this product was a multifunctional tool rather than a simple database. The tool helped to identify and understand the best indicators to measure progress towards the green economy. Therefore, it was useful for policy-makers and people trying to influence them. This initiative was of significant interest for the Directorate-General for Environment, as can be seen in an interview with the NETGREEN project team. The interview is available online.

The Arctic Summer College is proud to have recently completed its fifth successful year. From 25 June to 13 August 13, the 20 selected Arctic Summer College Fellows participated in eight webinars on various topics relevant to the Arctic, including Indigenous Actors and Arctic Decision-making, Arctic Energy and Climate Change Adaptation. Fellows became part of a network of emerging Arctic leaders from different disciplines and regions and were able to share and discuss ideas with expert speakers.

The European Environment Agency’s (EEA) report aims to assess whether Europe is meeting the goals of the European Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD). The authors, among them scientists at Ecologic Institute, argue that the European Union is not on a path to fulfill its ambition of achieving sustainable use of its seas; despite being fully capable to do so using the current array of existing policies and knowledge. The report is available for download.

The second expert workshop of the discussion series “Improving climate protection – for Paris and beyond” dealt with the topic “National mitigation commitments and MRV – The political relevance of technical rules”. The event took place on 23 June 2015in Berlin.

Cities and municipalities play a key role in finding solutions for climate change issues on the local level. A number of research projects already provides best-practice examples and strategies for their implementation. An effective exchange of municipalities facilitates the spread of available knowledge much faster. Within this article Ecologic Institute's Doris Knoblauch, Arne Riedel, and Monica Ridgway discuss the central challenges of both groups and elaborate on the themes and methods used for networking. The article is available for download.

On 22 June 2015, Eleftheria Kampa, Senior Fellow at Ecologic Institute gave a presentation on the German Forum on fish protection and downstream migration at the 5th International Fish Passage Conference in the Netherlands. In her presentation, she illustrated how the Forum has been a successful instrument for participation and improving acceptance for measures on fish protection and downstream migration, which are a topic of intensive and often controversial discussions in recent years in Germany. The presentation slides are available for download.

The update on climate geoengineering in the relation to the Convention on Biological Diversity addresses the potential impacts of climate geoengineering and examines the regulatory framework. Chapter 6 "Policy and Regulatory Framework" of the updated report shows the regulatory status at the time of the previous Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD (2012)) and then demonstrates the recent developments of the regulatory framework in the light of the London Convention/London Protocol and OSPAR Convention. Finally, the relevant discussions in recent reports and literature are demonstrated concerning both general principles and cross-cutting issues.

In the debates about the new climate and energy framework for 2030 and the proposed Energy Union, 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. Both are defined for the Union as a whole, but not for single Memeber States. On 17 June 2015, Katharina Umpfenbach presented the working paper "Regional cooperation in the context of the new 2030 energy governance" in Berlin that takes a closer look at the existing landscape of regional institutions in the European electricity sector to explore their potential contribution to an effective furture governance framework. The presentation is available for download.

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.

Tröltzsch, Jenny; Daniel Blobel; Martin Peter et. al. (2015): Development of a Tool for the Prioritisation of Measures and Policy Instruments for Climate Adaptation. Poster.

Three leading Australian journalists participated in a study tour on "Climate and Energy Policy in Germany" in Berlin, from 13 until 18 June 2015. Ecologic Institute designed and organised the tour on behalf of the Foreign Office.

The Energy Union is a central project of the European Union. The aim is to build an integrated energy market that provides secure, affordable and sustainable energy to all European citizens. On 10 June 2015, Katharina Umpfenbach discussed options for implementing the Energy Union with stakeholders from central and eastern Europe at a conference jointly organised by the Prague Institute for Global Policy (glopolis), the Delegation of the European Commission to the Czech Republic and the Heinrich Böll Foundation Prague. In her contribution, Katharina Umpfenbach emphasised the opportunities of putting decarbonisation at the heart of the Energy Union. Renewable energies and energy efficiency have enormous potential to replace costly energy imports and drive innovation in the EU.

On 9 June 2015, the results of the project "Strategic Development of the National Climate Initiative (NKI)" were discussed at the Federal Ministry for Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety (BMUB) in Berlin. The half-day conference focused on the presentation of the results of the development of the National Climate Initiative as well as on the exchange and networking of high-ranking stakeholders from policy, business, scientific institutions, and civil society.

From 1 June to 11 June 2015, the meeting of the Subsidiary Bodies for the UN climate negotiations in the lead up to COP21 took place in Bonn (Germany). Members of the CECILIA2050 consortium hosted a side event entitled "Improving Europe's Climate Policy Toolbox to Reach the 2050 Low-Carbon Targets: Insights from the CECILIA2050 Project."

Multiple international environmental agreements govern countries' treatment and protection of their natural resources and environment. The treaties have different requirements for the Parties to report on the implementation, e.g., regulations, policies, strategies, etc. However, to date there has been no comprehensive assessment regarding implementation of these agreements on the national level. The Global Environmental Governance Project, spearheaded by Prof. Dr. Maria Ivanova, Associate Professor of the McCormack Graduate School of Policy and Global Studies at University of Massachusetts Boston, aims to fill this knowledge gap.