Since the Kyoto Protocol came into force, the U.S. has been effectively pushed onto the sidelines in the area of international climate change politics. In fact, U.S. initiatives so far have by and large been limited to bilateral and regional partnerships to combat climate change through technological innovation. Interestingly, activities at the regional, state, and local levels indicate considerable potential within the American political framework, to develop policies at the subnational level that respond to the challenge of climate change. Senior Researchers, Markus Knigge and Camilla Bausch, published a discussion paper which identifies subnational activities and analyses their impacts on greenhouse gas emissions and policymaking at the federal level. The discussion paper is available for download.

On the occasion of a conference on the implementation of the Water Framework Directive in North-Rhine Westphalia, Nicole Kranz presented experiences and strategies for public participation in water management in the context of the RhineNet project. Water management experts from different authorities and academia met on 17 and 18 January 2006 in Gelsenkirchen to discuss their approach towards the further implementation process of the WFD and to thus continue the exchange of experience commenced at previous events. The conference thus provided an important contribution to more transparency and an active involvement of the informed public in implementing the WFD in North-Rhine Westphalia.

Many Member States of the European Union have come up with programmes to foster Small and Medium Enterprises' (SME) compliance with environmental law or to help SME better their environmental performance. This is because SME playing a pre-eminent role in the economic structure of the European Union are a source of considerable impacts on the environment. This objective of this project is to gain an overview of those programmes in the Member States and to pick best practice cases.

In their article for the Zeitschrift für kommunale Wirtschaft (Magazine for Local Economy), Nadine Herbke, Ecologic Institute, and Dr. Nicole Weiß, Verband kommunaler Unternehmen (Association of Local Businesses) (VKU), present the results of the "Entwicklung lokaler Wasserpartnerschaften" ("Development of Local Water Partnerships") workshop, which took place on 23 November 2005 in Bonn.

The United Nations (UN) are in a crisis, not least because of their lack of democratic legitimacy: too many of the member countries are non-democratic, and internal procedures in the UN are unnecessarily closed to public debate and scrutiny. A panel of eminent experts led by Fernando Enrique Cardoso made proposals for reform. In a contribution to a book on the rule of international law in a globalised world, R. Andreas Kraemer assesses the panel's proposals.

For the preparations of the informal Council of Environmental Ministers under the Austrian EU presidency, Ecologic contributed to a discussion paper on the urban environment and environmental technologies. The paper discusses in particular the Thematic Strategy on the Urban Environment of the European Commmission and the potential for the use of environmental technologies in cities.

In this chapter of "Smit and Herzog on The Law of the European Union", founded by Hans Smit and Peter Herzog, Michael Mehling and Gitte Warnick of Ecologic Institute describe and analyze Title XIX of the Treaty establishing the European Community. First, the authors provide an in-depth review of the evolution of the corresponding paragraphs and articles, as well as a review of European environmental policy in general. The second part analyzes significant related measures of secondary legislation.

In this chapter of "Smit & Herzog on The Law of the European Union", founded by Hans Smit and Peter Herzog, Michael Mehling and Gitte Warnick of Ecologic Institute describe and analyze Article 176 of the Treaty establishing the European Community. First, the authors provide a review of the evolution of the article. The second part is an exhaustive analysis of significant judgments and decisions.

On 13 July 2005, the new German energy law entered into force. In their article, Dr. Camilla Bausch and Julia Rufin LL.M. explain the implementation of the European Directives in accelerating the liberalisation of the internal electricity and gas market. Following a description of the previous process of liberalisation at the European and National levels, the introduction of the new regulation of the energy market is discussed and the new rules concerning the de-monopolisation of the energy sector are explained. Furthermore, specific national rules outlining the European requirements are illustrated.

Kranz N., E. Interwies, A. Vorwerk (2005): Transboundary regimes in the Amudarya basin, Appendix to Deliverable 1.3.1 of the NeWater project, Berlin.

EU Member States are increasingly using market-based instruments such as taxes, subsidies or tradable permits to conserve Biodiversity. Ecologic has been commissioned by DG Environment to analyse the current use of Market Based Instruments (MBIs) like taxes, fees and charges to protect biodiversity. Based on this, Ecologic collaborated with its project partners in preparing a report that evaluates the success and failure of these instruments and assesses their potential for wider use in different contexts in the future. The report is available for download.

Kranz, Nicole et al. 2005: NeWater deliverable 1.3.2 Adaptive Water Management in Transboundary contexts. Common Research Agenda. Ecologic, RBA, RIZA, Berlin.