<p>&#13; The United States  –  though the 2005 Energy Policy Act – and the European Union – through the European Energy Policy – created incentives for expanding biofuel production and use.  On 25 May 2007, the German Marshall Fund of the United States (GMF) and DaimlerChrysler convened a conference in Berlin on "Transatlantic Approaches to Biofuels".  R. Andreas Kraemer of Ecologic spoke on Assessing European and U.S. Policies.</p>&#13;

<p>&#13; The United States – though the 2005 Energy Policy Act – and the European Union – through the European Energy Policy – created incentives for expanding biofuel production and use. On 25 May 2007, the German Marshall Fund of the United States (GMF) and DaimlerChrysler convened a conference in Berlin on "Transatlantic Approaches to Biofuels". R. Andreas Kraemer of Ecologic moderated the discussion on assessing European and U.S. policies.</p>&#13;

<p>&#13; A large percentage of Europe’s territory consists of rural areas that contain more than half of its population. Many problems of European societies such as an ageing population, high unemployment rates, social disparities and the lack of adaptive potential to the global market are more pronounced in rural areas than elsewhere. To overcome these problems, it is essential to link public, private and inter-sectoral initiatives to foster innovation. Rainer Müssner presented the EU-funded project RAPIDO, that has been established to analyse current best practices concerning the development of innovation in agriculture, forestry, the food sector and the wider rural areas, as well as to analyse methods to transfer knowledge to different target groups.</p>&#13;

<p>&#13; The question of "Governance" of natural resources, in other words how societies deal with the use of natural ressources, is central to each discussion about sustainability. Only "good governance" can guarantee the sustainable use of natural resources, protection of biodiversity, and indirectly help to implement the EU sustainability strategy. However it is quite difficult to measure and evaluate the level of good (bad) governance and to make the somewhat abstract concept more tangible. Rainer Müssner presented two EU funded projects dealing with the issue of "Governance of natural resources", in which Ecologic is involved as co-ordinator or partner.</p>&#13;

<p> The United Nations has dedicated the annual International Day of Biological Diversity on 22 May 2007 to &quot;Biological Diversity and Climate Change&quot;, highlighting both the interlinkages between the two issues and the interaction between the relevant international or multilateral conventions. On 7 May 2007, the joint CDU and CSU party in the German Federal Parliament (Bundestag) held an Expert Meeting to review the state of the debate and explore policy options and needs. Ecologic Institute contributed a presentation focussing on the international regimes on biological diversity and climate change.</p>

<p> Benjamin G&ouml;rlach presented some preliminary results of the WaterCost Project, which has been set up to develop and test a practicable methodology for cost-effectiveness analysis of groundwater protection measues. WaterCost brings together partners from five European regions, including municipalities, water supply companies and environment agencies. Ecologic Institute supports the German partners in the WaterCost project in the application of a cost-effectiveness analysis in a Frisian groundwater protection area. In his presentation, Benjamin G&ouml;rlach surveyed the costs and the effectiveness of 10 possible measures to reduce nitrate pollution from agricultural sources in the groundwater catchment area, and discussed potential combinations of these measures.</p>

To contribute to a wider dissemination of information relevant to renewable energy and energy efficiency especially in the EU’s southern and eastern neighbouring countries, this&nbsp; international Ministerial Conference under the German EU Presidency 2007 was organised by Ecologic.

<p> Every year, the Congressional Study Group on Germany brings together Members of U.S. Congress and members of the German Bundestag for a series of discussions on issues of mutual interest. The topics for 2007 included renewable energy, relations with China, the war in Afghanistan, and developments in Africa.&nbsp; R. Andreas Kraemer of Ecologic was invited by the United States Association of Former Members of Congress (USAFMC) to speak on renewable energy policies in the European Union.</p>

<p>&#13; The concept of sustainable development has gained tremendous popularity since Rio but is still challenging to consider in everyday political practice. The Parliamentary Advisory Council on Sustainable Development, in its opinion on the 2004 progress report on the National Sustainability Strategy of the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany, thus asked for an instrument to assess legislation on its sustainability. On 28 February 2007 the Parliamentary Advisory Council on Sustainable Development held a public hearing on the Sustainability Impact Assessment instrument, which aimed at discussing existing concepts for Sustainability Impact Assessments as well as their integration in parliamentary procedures.</p>&#13;

<p>&#13; Sustainable energy and climate change policy with respect to biofuels has become more and more important. In addition to offering a noteworthy alternative to fossil fuels, they also offer carbon reduction potential. However, increasing use of biofuels has led to new challenges in the field of economy, nature protection and social acceptance. Due to these new challenges, one important step is to develop a certification system for biofuels based on criteria of sustainability. Stephanie Schlegel, a Fellow at Ecologic Insitute, presented experiences with the FSC Forest Certification at the workshop ”Sustainable biofuels – How to certify?“, organised by Econsense.</p>&#13;

The Washington Post called Lester Brown "one of the world's most influential thinkers." The Telegraph of Calcutta refers to him as "the guru of the environmental movement." While visiting Germany in order to launch the German edition of his book "Plan B 2.0: Rescuing a Planet Under Stress and a Civilization in Trouble", he gave a talk in Berlin on 22 January 2007.

In March 2006, the German government cabinet adopted the "Modernisation Report for the German Water Sector". The report does not yet contain a specific modernisation strategy, but formed the basis for discussions at the 7th Congress of Municipal Utilities of the German Association of Municipal Utilities on 29 November 2006. R. Andreas Kraemer of Ecologic moderated the debate about the question, how the traditional form of urban utility management can remain a successful model for the provision of good conditions for environmental, social and economic development in towns and cities.