Determining environmental impacts of products is complex. In this study, BIO IS, the Institute for European Environmental Policy (IEEP) and the Ecologic Institute investigated approaches for verifying that claims made by companies on the environmental properties of products or their own overall environmental performance are correct. The study was commissioned by the European Commission, DG Environment. The Ecologic Institute contributed an analysis on the law of the World Trade Organziation as far as relevant for related policy measures. The report is available for download.

The Ecologic Institute continues to be actively involved in the debate on the ongoing negotiations on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) and its environmental impact. On 23 April 2014, Max Grünig, Senior Fellow at the Ecologic Institute, participated as a panelist in a stakeholder forum on TTIP in Washington D.C. The presentation slides are available for download.

<p>The LIFE Regulation for 2014 - 2020 allows for the first time the use of financial instruments. Three options for a financial instrument part funded via the LIFE Climate Action sub-programme are discussed in the project. An in-depth assessment of the options is required. As options financing instruments for mitigation and climate adaptation are covered, including a flexible loans and guarantee facility for energy efficiency and a technical assistance facility.</p>

The project reviewed European environmental performance based on the Commitment to Development Index, which is annually published by the Center for Global Development. After assessing the indicators used in the Index and considering the policies of relevance, the Ecologic Institute developed policy recommendations at the national and European levels for improving environment and development.

Sustainable water management under climate change is an urgent challenge for the Euro-Mediterranean region. The BeWater FP7 project supports a transition to stakeholder-driven river basin water management planning in this region by working together with local partners and stakeholders. A highly participatory approach is utilized to develop river basin adaptation plans in four case study regions, which can then serve to guide the development of additional plans throughout the Mediterranean.

The NetBiome-CSA project aims at extending and strengthening research partnerships and cooperation for smart and sustainable management of tropical and subtropical biodiversity in the EU’s outermost regions (ORs) and overseas countries and territories (OCTs). Ecologic Institute contributes to the project by providing evidence on the economic value of biodiversity and ecosystem services in ORs and OCTs, by organising training sessions for stakeholders, and by developing targeted policy recommendations for local, regional and EU policy-makers.

What can consumers, medical staff, researchers, members of water boards and politicians do to reduce the input of pharmaceutical residues at the source? This short film illustrates how all involved stakeholders can contribute jointly to solutions.

Even though Europe's seas contribute highly to our economic and social well-being by offering a diverse array of species, habitats and ecosystems, they are threatened by human activities. In order to protect Europe's seas from irreversible damage the European Environment Agency (EEA) published 'Marine messages' that gives an overview of the current state-of-affairs of European seas and our use of them. Benjamin Boteler and Dr. Manuel Lago from the Ecologic Institute contributed to this report. The brochure is available for download.

This science policy brief summarizes the results of the Water Lives policy symposium. The Water Lives science policy symposium was held on 29 and 30 January 2014 in Brussels and was organized by BIOFRESH and REFRESH projects.

Climate change is leading to increased vulnerability of coastal areas as coastal storms, sea level rise and flooding cause significant impacts across Europe. Resilience-Increasing Strategies for Coasts – toolKIT (RISC-KIT) is a four-year European research project aimed at delivering ready-to-use methods, tools and management approaches to reduce risk from coastal storms and increase the resilience of Europe’s coastal zones. Designed around 11 case study sites, 10 European and one international, the project takes an interdisciplinary approach combining physical, socio-economic, socio-cultural and social-ecological data to design site specific Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) strategies and draw implications for national and European policy.

Ecologic Institute and its partners are pleased to announce the 2014 Arctic Summer College and are seeking applications from emerging leaders working to improve Arctic governance from around the world.

This short animated video introduces the BASE project and its key issues to a wider audience. BASE (Bottom-Up Climate Adaptation Strategies Towards a Sustainable Europe) supports action for sustainable climate change adaptation in Europe by making experiences and scientific information about adaptation meaningful, transferable and easily accessible to decision-makers at all levels.

Water touches virtually all societal and environmental domains. The knowledge domain is largely multidisciplinary. New water information and knowledge can thus lead to more efficient use of environmental services and better handling of environmental problems, including those posed by climate and environmental change. The project SWITCH-ON explores and exploits the currently untapped potential of open environmental data to address water issues. Water information is of interest to many kinds of end-users, both within government and business as well as within civil society. SWITCH-ON will show the benefits achieved through the whole process chain. The project aims at re-purposing (re-using under different context) open data products into more water-dedicated and refined products. Those are considered to have high value and a broad impact on society.