Projects – Ecologic Institute EU

To put our energy system back on track to achieve the long term EU greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction targets, scaled up efforts are required especially in the three major areas of energy consumption: transport, heating and cooling, as well as electricity generation for households and industry. As these sectors still rely largely on fossil fuels, radical technological changes are needed. Therefore, the main objective of this project is to obtain an overall picture of what technological options are available and how these options can be combined to drive decarbonisation efforts and ensure resilience of the EU energy system.

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Ecologic Institute is a core partner in the Framework contract for services to move towards good environmental status of the European marine waters by implementing the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD). The objective of the framework contract is to support DG Environment, the Members States, and the Regional Sea Conventions with the implementation of the MSFD.Read more

Ecologic Institute, as part of a pan-European consortium led by WRc, is supporting the European Commission in a framework contract on the evaluation, review and development of EU water policy. With activities to be supported under this framework contract, the Commission wishes to ensure that the Water Framework Directive (WFD) and associated water-related directives are implemented in a coherent and effective manner across the EU and that Member States comply with their obligations. One of the principal mechanisms for encouraging effective implementation has been the informal programme of co-operation focused on tackling the technical challenges arising from implementing the WFD known as the Common Implementation Strategy (CIS).Read more

The objective of this assignment is to provide country specific and up-to-date information and analysis on the main national policies and measures in the 28 Member States relevant for the climate and energy objectives set out in the Europe 2020 Strategy, as well as for the Energy Union targets.Read more

Hydropower plants can offer a reliable and clean source of energy. However, these installations can often pose difficult challenges for the surrounding environment, particularly the fish species living in the rivers. FIThydro (Fishfriendly Innovative Technologies for Hydropower) is a 4-year EU research and innovation action (funded under H2020) which aims to support decisions on commissioning and operating hydropower plants (HPP) by use of existing and innovative technologies. It concentrates on mitigation measures to develop cost-effective environmental solutions and strategies to avoid individual fish damage and to support the development of self-sustainable fish populations. FIThydro brings together 26 partners from 10 countries, involving several of the leading companies in the renewable and hydropower energy sector in Europe.

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The European Union has quite a number of directives and regulations on environmental matters. While all Member States are obliged to apply and/or transpose them, the degree to which these legal rules effectively help protect the environment depends to a large extent on their implementation in practice. In particular, proper environmental enforcement requires sufficient staff, with appropriate expertise and technical equipment, and good cooperation between different authorities. There is evidence that environmental law is not consistently enforced in Members States. Therefore, in 2018, the European Commission published an Action Plan on Environmental Compliance and Governance; it sets out various actions aimed at improving environmental compliance and governance in Member States. Ecologic Institute leads a consortium supporting the Directorate-General for Environment in implementing the Action Plan.Read more