The new National Climate Protection Program, as agreed upon by the federal government on 13 July, was the subject of the "Climate Talk" on 13 August 2005. Experts from business, science and politics discussed the economic and political meaning of the program, particularly against the backdrop of emissions trading, Germany's (formerly) leading role in climate protection and Germany's 2012-emissions-reduction-goals. Presentations were given by Astrid Harnisch (Federal Ministry of the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Protection, BMU), Regine Günther (WWF) and Sven Reinhardt (CDU/CSU-faction).

On behalf of the German Federal Environmental Agency (UBA), Ecologic Institute examined the impacts of renewable resources on soil quality and options for sustainable cultivation. The study is available for download.

Thomas Bosecke critically evaluates coastal protection measures of the southern coast of the Baltic Sea according to an extensive analysis of the biogeographic conditions. He proposes a cautious approach and the Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM). The proposed solutions are then reviewed for their legal enforceability with regard to land use planning, nature conservation, property rights and different questions concerning regulatory approval.

The implementation of the Water Framework Directive is one of the main items in the field of environmental protection. As a main novelty, the Directive foresees the integration of economic aspects into water-related decision making. However, current practice in Germany does not always match the definitions and approaches for economic evaluation developed at EU level, as Benjamin Görlach and Eduard Interwies note in this article "What is the Value of Water? Assessing Environmental and Resource Costs in the Water Framework Directive."

The concept of Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM), which is based on a cross-sectoral and sustainable management of water resources, is considered as comprehensive approach for addressing current water challenges world-wide. In the context of a publication by the German Institute for Development Policy, various strategies for IWRM are analysed. The contribution of Ecologic discusses the relevance of the European Water Framework Directive (WFD) for achieving IWRM in Europe.

The German Council for Sustainable Development (RNE), together with GTZ, convened a German National Conference on Sustainability in the Context of BRICS+G. R. Andreas Kraemer moderated the event on 9 June 2005. The national conference was held in preparation of an international conference including Brazil, Russia, India, and China in Berlin on 4 and 5 September 2005.

Rodenhoff, Vera 2005: Laufende Beratung bei der Durchsetzung und Fortentwicklung des Umweltvölkerrechts–Schlussbericht, Ecologic, Berlin.

During a workshop conducted by Ecologic Institute and the German Federal Environmental Agency on the matter of user charges on global environmental goods, Nils Meyer-Ohlendorf gave two speeches on the legal parameters of the introduction of a levy on airplane tickets as well as on emissions. Participants of the workshop were representatives of the German Government, of the EU-Commission as well as representatives of academia, industry and NGOs.

Export Credit Agencies like the German EulerHermes AG have often been criticized for their restrictive information disclosure and the lack of participation. Through the recently agreed OECD Common Approaches, a trend towards better and earlier information disclosure has been established; however, the actual implementation of this agreement remains to be seen. Benjamin Görlach presented recent developments in a workshop organised by the non-governmental organisation World Economy, Ecology and Development (WEED).

Floods have caused substantial economic damage in recent years in Germany and elsewhere in Europe. The costs of the 2002 Elbe flood alone exceeded 10 billion Euro. Thirty experts from science and public administration gathered at the Federal Environment Agency in Berlin on 10 May 2005 to discuss the role of economic instruments for flood management and the economic assessment of flood management strategies. In his lecture, Benjamin Görlach presented some selected examples of flood management in Europe and discussed the use of economic appraisal tools in the different countries.

European Commission plans indicate that the water supply should no longer be subject to municipal self-administration, but instead to European competition rules, and maybe even to a mandatory tendering procedure. Such a development would have far-reaching effects on the German drinking water supply, which is characterised by strong communal influence.

The EC Water Framework Directive mandates that good ecological status should be reached in all water bodies in Europe by 2015. To this end, according to Article 11 of the Directive, programmes of measures shall be established for all river basins. The selection and combination of measures within these programmes should also take account of cost-effectiveness considerations. In an article for the Journal gwf Wasser / Abwasser, Benjamin Görlach, Nicole Kranz and Eduard Interwies present a possible methodology for this selection process, which was developed by Ecologic for the German Federal Environment Agency.

In his article in the "Zeitschrift für Umweltrecht," Nils Meyer-Ohlendorf (Ecologic Institute) analyzes what consequences the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe would have for environmental policy. This treaty was signed in 2004 but did not come into force as it was not ratified. The author focuses on the institutional architecture of the European Union, which would undergo some changes due to the treaty.

In this article, Camilla Bausch and Julia Rufin provide an overview of the content of the German energy law, as adopted by the German Parliament in 2005. The new energy law is based on European Directives. The authors focus their contributing article on the essential new provisions. A description of the future regulation of the energy market is provided, and the new rules concerning the unbundling of the energy sector are exposed. Furthermore, provisions that extend the requirements of European law are described.