In the EU, the aim is to reduce dependence on fossil fuels and to use energy more efficiently. This webinar presented a number of key topics connected to a role that district heating plays in achieving decarbonisation of economies and energy systems. A recording of the webinar as well as the presentations are available online.

To emphasise important messages of the IPCC special report relating to climate and environmental policy and to make them available for policy-making, the German Federal Environment Agency presented selected findings of the report in a webinar on 26 October 2018. A second webinar on this topic took place on 23 November 2018. Ecologic Institute supported the Federal Environment Agency in the logistical and content-related organisation of both webinars.

As part of the project "Environmental Guidelines of German Arctic Policy" funded by the Federal Environment Agency, Ecologic Institute hosted the expert workshop "Environmental protection of the High North – How to protect the Arctic from afar?" on 24 October 2018 in Berlin. The aim of the workshop was to facilitate exchange and discussion on how observers of the Arctic Council can engage strategically and practically in the protection of the Arctic environment. The exchange with states active in the High North, indigenous communities, businesses, research and civil society produced solutions for a sustainable development in the Arctic that allows for the reconciliation of a wide spectrum of interests in the region. The focus was on climate change and air pollution control, shipping in the Arctic and sustainable tourism in the region.

Ecologic Institute's Arctic Summer College, supported by the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, hosted a side event on sustainable development in the Arctic that welcomed over 50 participants in its first session during the Arctic Circle Assembly on 20 October 2018. A recording of the side event is available online.

The Working Group ECOSTAT of the Common Implementation Strategy (CIS) of the Water Framework Directive (WFD) held a workshop on classification on 29-30 May 2018 in Tallinn. The aim of this workshop with respect to hydromorphology was to facilitate a better common understanding on the use of hydromorphological quality elements for the overall assessment of ecological status and potential. This is part of a wider work item on classification in the ECOSTAT work programme focusing on the linkage between supporting and biological quality elements (BQEs). The Workshop Summary Report presents the main discussions that occurred during this meeting and is available for download.

The Think 2030 conference has launched a new sustainability platform, which aims to inform a science-based agenda for European environmental policy beyond 2020 and propose solutions to Europe's most pressing sustainability issues. Ecologic Institute's Matthias Duwe co-authored a paper on long-term climate planning in the EU together with Lola Vallejo (IDDRI), which was discussed during a dedicated session. A summary of the paper is available.

There are many promising ways in which the next EU budget could help EU Member States achieve their climate and energy targets. Explicitly targeting EU public spending towards climate could send a signal to other investors, creating a shift in financial flows. Existing legislative proposals the door already ajar, but concrete improvements are needed to push it open, analysis by Ecologic Institute shows.

On 10 and 11 October 2018, the AQUACROSS Final Conference on "Ecosystem-Based Management for the Protection of Aquatic Biodiversity – Practice and Lessons Learnt" took place in Brussels. AQUACROSS project team members presented different tools and results regarding aquatic biodiversity protection developed during the project. Conference participants from 21 countries received the eight AQUACROSS Case Studies and the Case Study Gallery with posters, photos and information material with particular interest. The presentations held during the conference are now available on the AQUACROSS project conference website.

What is the best way forward for soil protection in the EU? How can we improve EU policies to secure the delivery of soil ecosystem services? These questions were the focus of the final policy conference of the RECARE project which took place on 27 September 2018 in Brussels. More than 100 participants from 21 countries participated in the conference.

This publication provides a quantitative overview of the development and status of environmental crime in Germany between 2004 and 2016, based on data from the police crime statistics ("Polizeiliche Kriminalstatistik") and the Federal Statistical Office's criminal prosecution statistics ("Strafverfolgungsstatistik"). The report provides both, an overview of general trends and an in-depth account of individual environmental offences. In addition, the publication contains data on administrative offences relating to trafficking of protected species. The report was prepared by a team from Ecologic Institute on behalf of the German Federal Environment Agency.

The persistent damaging impacts of subsoil compaction call for policy intervention in order to secure yields and adapt to climate change, as well as to sustain soil ecosystem services for future generations. The authors of this RECARE Policy Brief, including Ana Frelih-Larsen of Ecologic Institute, demand that policy responses need to address the underlying drivers of farmers' decision-making concerning field traffic through a systematic and coordinated approach for sustainable soil management in Europe. The RECARE policy brief is available for download.

This brochure describes the threats to soils in Europe, how the RECARE project has addressed these and provides clear examples of soil management options and policy solutions. Ecologic Institute's Ana Frelih-Larsen and Sandra Naumann contributed to the RECARE project brochure, which is available for download.

This case-study paper examines future scenarios for car sharing in Germany, analysing drivers and impacts. Enabled by disruptive technological changes, car sharing is an example of a "product as a service" and becoming an increasingly viable alternative to the private ownership of cars. By intensifying the use of vehicles, car sharing has the potential to provide mobility using fewer physical and energy resources.

The problem of historical contamination remains an important gap in European policymaking on soils. Political commitment is required to address the issue of historical contamination systematically by providing a common EU framework to guide and facilitate activities at the national level, where in turn establishing and implementing national strategies for managing soil contamination is important. Finally, improving knowledge, sharing, and availability of existing information, and engaging stakeholders in the process of remediating soil contamination is recommended by the authors, lead by Ana Frelih-Larsen and Sophie Ittner of Ecologic Institute. The RECARE policy brief is available for download.