The REFORM project provides tools to support cost-effective implementation of river restoration measures and monitoring. The Ecologic Institute is responsible for concept, design, programming and content of the project website which aims to be the central platform for collaborative writing. The internal area provides access to drafts, discussions and a list of all partners working on that project. The website also offers a feedback forum where visitors may respond to activities and discussion meetings. Furthermore the website offers an overview and detailed fact sheets about study sites with an interactive map displaying the locations. All results, news and events related to the project can be found on the website.

The European Union (EU) wants to increase the share of renewable energy in the transport sector to 10% by 2020. This 10% target was set in the Renewable Energy Directive (RED). However, it currently focuses on the use of biofuels in transport and assumes a grid-average for electricity used in transport. No methodology is available for biomethane and hydrogen from renewable sources. The study "Shifting Renewable Energy in Transport into the Next Gear" was performed to determine whether there are conditions under which it is possible and beneficial to amend the RED to include new methodologies for renewable electricity, hydrogen and biomethane to count towards the 10% transport target. The final report is available for download.

In a literature review, Ecologic Institute examined the effects of environmental tax reforms on the distribution of wealth among different population groups. The review was a contribution to a project commissioned by the European Environment Agency that analysed the long-term perspectives of a substantial shift of taxation from labour and income towards resource use in Europe. Distributional impacts of such a tax reform are addressed in one project report, while another one focuses on the effects of environmental tax reform on innovation.

Between June and August 2011, BioFresh Team members from Ecologic Institute and Oxford University School of Geography and the Environment undertook an online survey of stakeholders' opinions of the status and policy profile of freshwater biodiversity in policy-making and of various communication channels that link science and policy. The evaluation report is available for download.

The One Planet Economy Network: EU (OPEN:EU) project concluded at the end of 2011 with the launch of the EUREAPA tool. EUREAPA (EU Resource and Energy Analysis Programme Application) is a freely available online decision making support tool based on the integration of the Footprint Family of indicators with an economic model which enables users to demonstrate the impact of EU consumption and production on the environment.

Ammermüller, Britta et. al. 2011: Cost-benefit assessment within the context of the EC Water Framework Directive. Method for justifying exemptions based on disproportionate costs. [Studies in Infrastructure and Resources Management, Bd. 3]. Berlin: Logos Verlag.

Developing countries are the main providers of genetic resources and traditional knowledge. Conversely, most intellectual property rights (IPRs) on seeds and medicines are concentrated in developed countries. This has some disadvantages for developing countries. Thus, patents on seed or pharmaceutical products sometimes make the access to such products for the poor more difficult and expensive; there are hardly any positive effects of IPRs on fighting poverty by contrast. This is the result of a study for the European Parliament that Ecologic Institute helped to write. The study, which was written by Ecologic Institute (Christiane Gerstetter, Christine Lucha, Katriona McGlade and Elizabeth Tedsen) and Vrije Universiteit Brussel is available for download.

Ecologic Institute and GHK produced a comprehensive overview of the design, implementation and cost efficiency of green infrastructure projects in the EU to solidify the understanding of this concept. The study was presented at the workshop "Insights from Green Infrastructure projects in the EU", held in Brussels on 17 January 2012. Given the cross-sectoral nature and relevance of the subject, attendees included representatives from DG Environment, DG Clima and DG Regio, amongst others. The study contributes to the EU’s post-2010 biodiversity policy and the development of the upcoming EU strategy on green infrastructure. The final report is available for download.

This case study on green hydropower, conducted by Ecologic Institute, illustrates a novel application of economic policy instruments in European water management. Hydropower in Switzerland accounts for about 59 % of the electricity supply. While hydropower is already considered a green energy, the sector's "green" potential has increased with the introduction of a new label certification scheme. The study is available for download.

A policy mix consisting of regulatory and economic instruments can be very powerful in implementing and enforcing policies to address direct effluent emissions, as illustrated by this case study conducted by Ecologic Institute under WP3 of the FP7 EPI-Water project. In order to reduce point source pollution, several instruments were introduced in Germany throughout the years. The study is available for download.

The 2011 Eurostat monitoring report reviews the progress and implementation of the EU sustainable development strategy. The 2011 monitoring report was published on the Eurostat website. As partner in a consortium with the Vienna University of Economic and Business (RIMAS), INFRAS, and the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR), the Ecologic Institute played a substantial role in drafting the monitoring report on behalf of Eurostat.

The report aims at providing an in-depth analysis of the expected benefits of better implementation and enforcement of EU waste legislation, and the means with which this can be achieved. The report is available for download.

Two thousand and eleven has proven to be yet another exciting and intellectually enriching year for our institute. In our sixteenth year of researching and shaping European environmental policy, we not only continued to provide high quality and innovative expertise to the European community, but we also grew consistently – both in our diversified staff and our competencies. Our Project Handbook 2011 is available for download.

This collection of essays brings together more than twenty experts with diverse professional and geographic backgrounds for a discussion of the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) and its prospective role beyond 2012. Using conceptual analyses and a series of evidence-based case studies, the authors identify important challenges and opportunities on the path towards CDM reform. Michael Mehling, President of the Ecologic Institute in Washington DC, is one of the book's editors and contributed to several chapters.