In response to new scientific results on global climate change and its impacts for human societies (Stern Review 2006, Fourth Assessment Report of IPCC), and as a contribution to the debate on international climate protection efforts after 2012, Switzerland has published a new strategy on its future climate policy in August 2007. Ecologic contributed to one of several studies that formed the basis for the development of this strategy. The study as well as related material is available for download.

The use of public procurement policy to achieve sustainable development objectives has increased steadily over the past decade. Amongst the various "green procurement" initiatives, forestry is a sector which received much attention. However, unlike areas such as product safety or energy efficiency, the use of public procurement to enhance sustainable forest management (SFM) is extremely complex – largely because the elements of SFM are broad ranging, variable, and to some extent controversial.

Oosterhuis, Frans (Ed.) 2006: Ex-post Estimates of Costs to Business of EU Environmental Legislation. Final report for the European Commission. Institute for Environmental Studies (IVM), Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

Müssner, Rainer; Anna Leipprand; Stephanie Schlegel et al. 2006: Deliverable 6 – CROSS-COMPLIANCE Facilitating the CAP reform: Compliance and competitiveness of European agriculture – Specific Targeted Research or Innovation Project (STREP) – Integrating and Strengthening the European Research Area – Overview of certification schemes in 7 EU countries and 3 non-EU countries – Germany Country Report. Ecologic – Institute for International and European Environmental Policy, Berlin.

On behalf of the European Commission, DG Environment, Ecologic Fellow Thomas Dworak participated in a workshop on the WFD and Agriculture and gave a presentation on EU agricultural policies and water management. The workshop was held in Malinska, Croatia on 25 and 26 April 2006 and organised by the International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River (ICPDR) together with the UNDP-GEF Danube Regional Project.

On invitation of DG Economic and Financial Affairs and DG Environment, Ingo Bräuer, Fellow at Ecologic, gave a presentation on the use of Market Based Instruments in the field of nature conservation.

EU Member States have until the end of June 2006 to submit their National Allocation Plans (NAPs) to the European Commission. These plans are a decisive element of the preparation for the second phase (2008-2012) of EU Emissions Trading Scheme and thus a cornerstone of European climate policy. Currently, the Member States are hurriedly preparing their respective Plans. Again, as with the preparation of the first NAPs, some fundamental questions are raised, for example regarding allocation methods for emissions certificates, the emission caps, and the installations covered by the Scheme. But in contrast to 2004, when the NAPs for the first trading period (2005-2007) were drafted, this time the Member States can draw upon some experiences.

The implications of rising oil prices and the effects of climate change for growth in Germany were the topic of the Dinner Dialogue in honour of Dennis Meadows, co-author of "Limits To Growth". The 30 year update of the 1972 best seller has been the staring point for the discussion taking place in Berlin on 3 April 2006.

Like environmental policy in general, water policy in particular is subject to constant change. In his article published in the journal Wasser und Abfall (Water and Waste), Peter Kessler describes the shift from an instrumental to an objective-oriented approach. While the water crisis in the Hessisches Ried was still mastered with the instrumental approach, the quality objectives of the German Länder Working Group on Water Issues (LAWA) and the water quality objectives of the Water Framework Directive (WFD) represent the quality objective orientation.

Contingent valuation studies and their results are often criticised. This paper describes the findings of an experimental survey that tests the influence of survey design on strategic behaviour.

With flooding in Central Europe once more headline news this spring and the loss of at least twelve lives across Austria, the Czech Republic, Germany and Slovakia, the proposal for a new Floods Directive from the European Commission in January 2006 seems like a timely intervention. Ecologic together with IEEP has produced a preliminary assessment of the Flood Directive proposed by the European Commission. It is intended as a policy briefing to help inform members of the European Parliament about the issues involved when discussing the proposal.

This policy handbook for the EU-Water Framework Directive (WFD) has been published as a 2nd, fully updated edition in 2006. It comprises 9 chapters from 37 authors – five of them members of the Ecologic Team. The handbook covers all steps of the WFD implementation, with topics ranging from the analysis of pressures and impacts to the selection of measures, and from the integration of nature conservation requirements to the designation of heavily modified water bodies. It aims to provide hands-on guidance on all aspects of the WFD’s implementation in Germany for policymakers, academic scholars and civil society actors.

First methodological ideas on how to proceed with the cost-effectiveness analysis under the EU Water Framework Directive have already been developed by a number of European Member States. Yet, important methodological challenges remain, in particular with regard to a scale adapted procedure. This paper takes up the current debate and develops ideas on how to address the problem of interlinking bottom-up and top-down approaches for the selection of cost-effective sets of measures under the Directive.

In order to implement the Water Framework Directive (WFD) in due time, the aim of this project is to develop an efficient monitoring programme which will both be adapted to the special natural conditions of Cyprus and meet the requirements of the WFD. Amongst other things, Ecologic will be involved in sketching and comparing different scenarios for an efficient monitoring programme. Ecologic supports to a great extent the cost estimation of different options for implementing a water monitoring programme in Cyprus.