Görlach, B., E. Interwies, S. Loubier et al. (2003): Economic Assessment of Groundwater Protection: Executive summary. Berlin: Ecologic.

What are the impacts of European infringement procedures regarding the non-compliance with nature conservation legislation? To what extent are infringement procedures capable of enforcing the implementation of this legislation? And, on the other hand, to what extent can protected areas contribute to fulfill the requirements of the nature conservation legislation by means of sustainable management with appropriate financing? In order to discuss these issues an international conference entitled "Applying EU Environmental Legislation in the Field of Marine and Coastal Protection" took place on the Ionian Island of Zakynthos on May 19th and 20th, 2003. The preparation and organisation was carried out by Ecologic in co-operation with the National Marine Park of Zakynthos.

On 21 May, the Kyiv report "Europe's environment: The third assessment" was released in the run-up to the meeting of Environment ministers from the wider European continent in Kyiv, Ukraine, which was organised by the UN's Economic Commission for Europe (UN-ECE). Chapter 13 dealing with progress in managing the environment was drawn up with the joint help of Ecologic and IEEP London.

The results of the workshop entitled "The Architecture of the Global System of Governance of Trade and Sustainable Development" that took place on 9 and 10 December 2002 in Berlin have been published in an Ecologic Brief. Based on the background paper of the workshop and the debates which took place during the discussions, this brochure seeks to give an overview of the complex issue of the global governance of trade and sustainable development and to convey to a wider audience the main questions facing the research community.

The main conclusions and results of a study exploring functions, rules and practices of NGO participation in international environmental co-operation are presented in an Ecologic Brief. This Ecologic Brief identifies a number of options for a strengthened participation of NGOs in international environmental governance and is intended to contribute to the related international discussions.

Ecologic – Institute for International and European Environmental Policy; Fridtjof Nansen Institute; Foundation for International Environmental Law and Development; Institute for European Environmental Policy 2003: Institutional Interaction – How to Prevent Conflicts and Enhance Synergies between International and EU Environmental Institutions. Final Report.

Ecologic - Institute for International and European Environmental Policy; Fridtjof Nansen Institute; Foundation for International Environmental Law and Development; Institute for European Environmental Policy 2003: Institutional Interaction - How to Prevent Conflicts and Enhance Synergies between International and EU Environmental Institutions. Technological Implementation Plan.

Interwies, Eduard and Eleftheria Kampa 2003: The "screening" framework for selecting measures and application of derogation tests - which role for economics? Ecologic, Berlin.

Görlach, B. and E. Interwies (2003): Economic Assessment of Groundwater Protection: A survey of the Literature. Berlin: Ecologic.

Chagiou, N. et al. 2003: Corfu Pilot Project, Greece: Economic Analysis according to the Water Framework Directive (WFD). Institute of Geology and Mineral Exploration (IGME) / Ministry of Development (YPAN) / Ecologic, Athen.

The workshop aims at continuing and intensifying the process of an international exchange of experiences with the on-going activities which was started by a workshop in September 2001 in Bruges. It will focus on the exchange of information regarding experiences in the field of air pollution abatement measures - both their planning (drawing up action plans according to art. 7 (3) and preparation of plans or programmes according to art. 8 (3) of the Framework Directive) and their implementation. The workshop will serve as a forum for exchanging experiences on the national implementation of the EU air quality directives with emphasis on air pollution abatement measures.

Ecologic's forest expert Richard Tarasofsky published an article in the Policy Trend Report 2001/2002 by the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES).

A river at the heart of Europe, the Rhine has a length of 1320 km and a catchment area of 185,000 sq km. The population density and the degree of urbanisation and industrialisation in its basin have presented a particular water management and river development challenges in the past and will continue to do so in the future.

Options for a co-operation between UNEP/Mediterranean Action Plan and the EU initiative EUROMED are now presented in an Ecologic Brief. The Brief points out ways for an improved environmental integration and the sustainable development of the Mediterranean region.

This Ecologic Brief is a part of the project EcoFuturum "Europe's Democratic Challenge: Actively Shaping European Environmental Policy". It is part of a series of contributions to the European consitutional debates, and Ecologic thus continues its tradition of work on "Greening the Treaties".