The RISC-KIT Web-based Management Guide is one of the five RISC-KIT tools designed to highlight key principles recommended for the planning of local DRR measures using examples from the case studies and elsewhere to provide practical illustrations. It is intended to give guidance to coastal managers in Europe and those facing similar challenges beyond the region as well as other groups concerned with coastal management (i.e. coastal resource users, technical and scientific experts and policy makers). The guide includes prevention, mitigation, protection and preparedness measures with recommendations for their use in various socio-economic, cultural and environmental settings. The RISC-KIT Web-based Management Guide is available for download.

In principle, increased trade resulting from trade agreements can offer consumers access to goods and services that are less expensive or of higher quality. At the same time, there is a risk that rules in trade and investment agreements limit the sovereign right of states to adopt measures for consumer protection at the domestic level. Hence, much depends on how these agreements are designed. A study, compiled by Christiane Gerstetter, Senior Fellow at Ecologic Institute and Christian Pitschas, provides an overview of consumer-related rights in recent international trade agreements. The study is available fro download.

National long-term (2050) climate strategies have received increased attention in European policy debates in the past two years. The Paris Agreement also invites countries to develop such strategies. This study (a collaborative effort between IDDRI and Ecologic Institute) looks at five existing 2050 strategy processes in the EU and assesses what lessons they hold and how they fit within the emerging 2030 governance framework. The study is available for download.

<p>Engaging stakeholders in adaptation planning is widely considered to enhance the degree of acceptance and political relevance of environmental policy measures; yet significant room exists for improvement in the design and implementation of stakeholder participation in decision-making processes. A European Policy Event entitled "Implementing COP22 agreements: River basin adaptation planning through stakeholder engagement" was organized by Ecologic Institute within the EU-funded BeWater project to address this topic. The event's key messages and European policy recommendations are available for download.</p>

Wilson, G. A., Kelly, C. L., Briassoulis, H., Ferrara, A., Quaranta, G., Salvia, R., Detsis, V., Curfs, M., Cerda, A., El-Aich, A., Liu, H., Kosmas, C., Alados, C. L., Imeson, A., Landgrebe-Trinkunaite, R., Salvati, L., Naumann, S., Danwen, H., Iosifides, T., Kizos, T., Mancino, G., Nolè, A., Jiang, M., and Zhang, P. (2017) Social Memory and the Resilience of Communities Affected by Land Degradation. Land Degrad. Develop., 28: 383–400. doi: 10.1002/ldr.2669.

Based on a comprehensive analysis of EU laws and nationally initiated policies in 28 Member States, a new study led by Ecologic Institute assesses how existing EU legislation protects soils, identifying gaps and incoherencies in policy coverage. Nationally initiated policies do not consistently address these gaps in EU legislation, leading to a situation where requirements for soil protection can vary significantly across Member States. The study provides an up-to-date understanding of soil protection policies in Europe, delivering a baseline on which to discuss further EU soil policy action. The study is available for download.

This paper analyzes the proposal of the European Commission for a new regulation on the "Governance of the Energy Union". The analysis is framed around two questions: Is the proposed system adequate for supporting the implementation of the 2030 targets? Will it help Europe to get on a long-term pathway to a zero carbon economy? The paper focuses on the National Energy and Climate Plans (NECPs) as well as compliance and contains concrete proposals in legal language on how to improve the Commission's proposal. This paper builds on related papers by the Ecologic Institute and takes inspiration from intense discussions with colleagues in the ECF Governance cluster.

Policy Brief 3 summarizes the key barriers that were identified during the BeWater project, as well as the means for overcoming these barriers through policy actions at the national or sub-national level. Policy Brief 3 is available for download.

Policy brief 2 outlines the participatory approach developed within BeWater and presents recommendations targeting actors within European bodies and institutions dealing with adaptation planning and adaptation in water management. Aspects of EU policies that could pose a barrier to implementation of adaptation action are highlighted, and complemented with necessary actions to overcome such barriers. Policy brief 2 is available for download.

For many populations that are already socially marginalized, resource dependent, and with limited capital assets, human security will be progressively undermined by environmental change. A new book, co-edited by Katriona McGlade, Fellow and Coordinator of International Development at Ecologic Institute, examines interactions between environmental change and human security in the Middle East and Africa. The collected volume, published by Springer, demonstrates that global environmental change in general, and climate change in particular, are putting both human security and human rights at risk.

Afman, Maarten et. al. 2017: EU Energy Market Policy: Local and Regional Experience and Policy Recommendations. European Committee of the Regions: Brussels.

<p>Ecologic Institute's Lena Donat provided the European perspective on the Paris Agreement and the outcomes of COP22 in Marrakesh at the 45th Cairo Climate Talks, titled "COP22: Fostering Climate Change Resilience in Egypt". The event brought together decision-makers as well as representatives from business, academia and civil society.</p>&#13;

This movie gives an overview of the five tools developed within the EU-funded collaborative FP7 project RISC-KIT: 1) a Storm Impact Database, 2) a Coastal Risk Assessment Framework, 3) a Web-based Management Guide, 4) a Hotspot tool and Early Warning System and 5) a Multi-Criteria Analysis Guide. These products will enhance forecasting, prediction and early warning capabilities, improve the assessment of long-term coastal risk and optimize the mix of prevention, mitigation and preparedness measures. The movie, animated by Ecologic Institute's visual designer Beáta Vargová, is available via Ecologic Institute's YouTube channel.

AQUACROSS consortium published a report describing an analytical Assessment Framework, which aims to integrate and understand these complex interlinkages between natural and social systems, to be applied in real-world case studies in the project. The Assessment Framework covers the various steps needed to assess local aquatic management examples in a holistic manner—from the definition of policy challenges and the setting of objectives to the identification of opportunities, the screening of innovative responses and the design, implementation and assessment of alternative courses of action. All these elements are integrated into the comprehensive framework, which aims to capture all relevant interactions at stake. The report is available for download.

Altvater, Susanne and Heather Leslie 2015: "Let's Get Governing Marine Litter Across Europe". Coastal & Marine, Special The CleanSea Project: An interdisciplinary study of marine litter in the EU 24.1: 21.