On the occasion of a delegation visit of water experts and environmental activists from Korea to the Berlin Water Works on 26 October 2004, Ecologic Fellows Britta Pielen and Nicole Kranz spoke about the German water sector, current developments in EU water policy as well as public participation in water management.

The Arctic has been described as an indicator region for global environmental health. Both in the case of persistent organic pollutants and in the case of global warming, detrimental effects on indigenous peoples are becoming visible throughout the region - impacts that will also be felt in other parts of the world. A Dinner Dialogue with John Crump discussed possible impacts and the actions taken by the Arctic Council in response to these threats. The Dinner Dialogue took place in Berlin on 13 October 2004.

International Climate Protection Policy was the subject at the Dinner Dialogue in honor of Lee Lane, Executive Director of the Climate Policy Center in Washington DC. The roots and the role of growing US conservatism as the driving force of American climate policy were controversially discussed, as well as the most efficient and promising approaches to tackle climate change issues. The Dinner Dialogue took place on 6 October 2004 in Berlin.

The European Environmental Agency (EEA) wishes to improve its methodological framework in the area of cost-effectiveness assessments and environmental-economic analysis. Ecologic supports the EEA in this task by creating an inventory of applied ex-post evaluation studies with a focus on methodologies, guidelines, legal requirements and good practice examples from the EU Member States. <p>Ecologic in co-operation with eftec and IVM carries out a review of experiences with cost-effectiveness analyzes, methods and outcomes in the environmental arena. The project's objectives are:</p>&#13; <ul></ul>

In July 2004, the German Federal Cabinet adopted the draft amendment of the law governing non discriminatory network access (EnWG – Energiewirtschaftsgesetz). It transposes the EU Acceleration Directive for electricity and gas into German national law. Nicole Wilke and Camilla Bausch explain the essential elements of the draft amendment in an article.

Giorgi, Liana et al. 2004: The European Public Space Observatory. Assembling Information That Allows the Monitoring of the European Public Space, EUROPUB research project. The Interdisciplinary Centre for Comparative Research in the Social Sciences, Austria and partners, Vienna.

The transition to a sustainable development is a strategic aim of the EU. To this end, the European Council adopted during the meeting in Gothenburg 2001 a European Sustainable Development Strategy. The midterm review of the strategy is scheduled for next year (2005). How has the European Sustainable Development Strategy performed so far? In this article, Ecologic analyses both the relation between the Sustainable Development Strategy and the Lisbon process as well as the weaknesses of the strategy, and suggests a way forward.

Developing and implementing emissions trading and other measures in climate protection policy were discussed at a Lunch Discussion on 23 September 2004, in Washington, DC. The event focused on experiences and opportunities for transatlantic cooperation. It was co-hosted by the Heinrich Boell Foundation and the Center for Transatlantic Relations of Johns Hopkins University; Ecologic director R. Andreas Kraemer spoke on the EU Emissions Trading Scheme.

In an Environmental Policy Lecture on Sustainable Consumption and Production – Public Policies for Changing the "European Way of Life", R. Andreas Kraemer presented the international framework and current activities in Europe and Germany. Faculty and students attended this event at Duke University, Durham, NC, on 21 September 2004 and engaged in a lively debate.

"Risk Management in a Complex World" was the theme of the 4th Transatlantic Dialogue on Precaution, held at Duke University, Durham, NC, USA, on 19-21 September 2004, and hosted by the Duke Center for Environmental Solutions. R. Andreas Kraemer, who attended also the previous dialogues in the series, contributed as discussant on ozone depletion and climate change.

The study on "Public participation in water management in the co-ordination area Havel (Berlin-Brandenburg)" authored by Nicole Kranz, Antje Vorwerk and Wenke Hansen was published as the first volume of the new publication series of the KompetenzZentrum Wasser Berlin (KWB - Berlin Centre of Competence for Water).

The Yearbook Ecology 2005 will be published at the end of September 2004. Ecologic is one of the institutes supporting this yearbook. This year's focus is on Renewable Energy, Resource Conflicts, and Sustainable Economy.

The amendment of the Renewable Energy Sources Act (EEG) provides for a register of installations for the purpose of increasing transparency and simplifying the nation-wide equalisation mechanism. Ecologic is supporting the German Federal Ministry for the Environment in answering the legal questions in this context. The observation and analysis of the revision of the German energy laws under the viewpoint of its impacts on the promotion of renewable energies ist another main focus of this project.