In the book chapter "Green infrastructure: a bridging concept between biodiversity conservation and the Green Economy", Timo Kaphengst, McKenna Davis and Sandra Naumann of Ecologic Institute examine how the concept of green infrastructure (GI) matches with the most fundamental elements of the green economy, paying particular attention to the enhancement of "natural capital" and fostering of green and social innovation outside of protected areas. The ecosystem services approach is utilized as a bridging concept between the human and natural spheres, highlighting the extent to which GI is suitable for supporting the functionality of ecosystems and their provisioning of services for humans. The theoretical analysis is underpinned with empirical evidence from research in the field of GI within Europe and previous projects completed by Ecologic Institute.

REFRESH was a project aiming at the reduction of avoidable food waste and improved valorization of food resources in Europe. Through conducting research and initiating pilot projects in different countries REFRESH developed solutions for consumers, businesses and policy makers. The Ecologic Institute designed and developed the project's website.

Weiland, Sabine and Jenny Tröltzsch 2015: BASE Evaluation Criteria for Climate Adaptation (BECCA). BASE Policy Brief # 3.

Wolff, Franziska and Timo Kaphengst 2015: Exploring Options for Strengthening Sustainable Land Use within the UN Convention on Biological Diversity. GLOBALANDS Discussion Paper. Öko-Institut, Ecologic Institute, Berlin.

AQUACROSS seeks to advance knowledge and application of ecosystem-based management (EBM) for aquatic ecosystems to support the timely achievement of the EU 2020 Biodiversity Strategy targets. The AQUACROSS newsletter delivers insights and shares developments within the Horizon 2020 research project.

The CECILIA2050 project held its final conference, entitled "EU Climate Policy Beyond 2020 – Options for a Low-Carbon Future", on 30 June 2015 in Brussels (Belgium). This high-level event on the future of EU climate and energy policy presented insights and lessons-learned from the CECILIA2050 research project.

Lago, Manuel et. al. 2015: Defining and Assessing Economic Policy Instruments for Sustainable Water Management. In: Lago, M., Mysiak, J., Gómez, C.M., Delacámara, G., Maziotis, A. (Eds.): Use of Economic Instruments in Water Policy. Insights from International Experience. Heidelberg: Springer International Publishing.

Möller-Gulland, Jennifer et.al. et. al. 2015: Water Abstraction Charges and Compensation Payments in Baden-Württemberg (Germany). In: Lago, M., Mysiak, J., Gómez, C.M., Delacámara, G., Maziotis, A. (Eds.): Use of Economic Instruments in Water Policy. Insights from International Experience. Heidelberg: Springer International Publishing.

Lago, M., Mysiak, J., Gómez, C.M., Delacámara, G., Maziotis, A. (Eds.) 2015: Use of Economic Instruments in Water Policy. Insights from International Experience. Heidelberg: Springer International Publishing.

Möller-Gulland, Jennifer et. al. 2015: Effluent Tax in Germany. In: Lago, M., Mysiak, J., Gómez, C.M., Delacámara, G., Maziotis, A. (Eds.): Use of Economic Instruments in Water Policy. Insights from International Experience. Heidelberg: Springer International Publishing.

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.

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.

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.