A new report by the Ecologic Institute and the Oeko-Institut explores the past contribution of the industry sector to already achieved emission reductions as well as the contribution of the industry sector to the upcoming 2040 climate target and what it takes for industry to achieve the related emission reductions. With a focus on measures and policies governing that would further reduce emissions in industry, the report also examines the key challenges faced by the industry sector and how this is addressed in EU legislation.

This document compiles useful sources for MS to inform nature restoration planning. It aims to support MS in the contextualization, design and planning of nature restoration measures in their NRPs and includes links to established (i) guidelines and standards, (ii) key platforms and networks, and (iii) databases.

With the recent EU elections behind us, the challenge arises of how to continue the momentum towards climate neutrality while navigating the evolving political landscape. The focus now shifts to implementing the policy framework left behind by the last Commission, while also developing new, ambitious climate policies. In this episode of "Climate ON AIR," hosts Aaron Best and Bradlie Martz-Sigala discuss the way forward for EU climate policy with Bettina Kampman (CE Delft) and Benjamin Görlach (Ecologic Institute).

The NICHES project is in search of innovative solutions for adapting to extreme weather events such as heavy rainfall. To this end, we are analyzing the effects of heavy rainfall and the effectiveness of adaptation measures in an online survey.

This volume presents strategic lines of instrumentation for the future climate policy instrumentation in the EU, both for the short and the long term, closely related to energy policy and other policy domains like transport and housing.

This policy brief presents insights on the historical and future role of carbon pricing in the EU. The findings discussed are drawn from research undertaken by the CECILIA2050 and ENTRACTE projects.

This policy brief summarises the insights conducted under the CECILIA2050 project on the international dimensions of EU climate policy. The aims of the research were to understand the economic and political interactions between EU policies and the rest of the world, assess the effectiveness of these measures and determine the legal and political feasibility of policy responses in regard to diminishing the risk of carbon leakage.

Scaling up nature-based solutions (NbS) to deliver their full range of potential benefits requires coordinated efforts to enhance technical skills, devise innovative financing mechanisms, and improve governance. The ‘EU-LAC Policy Dialogue on Nature-based Solutions’ – an initiative led by the Directorate General of Research and Innovation of the European Commission – aims to establish a regular exchange between the EU and Latin American and the Caribbean (LAC) regions around nature-based solutions (NbS) to advance policy uptake and action in both regions.

At the occasion of the 16th NESS – Nordic Environmental Social Science Conference in Turku (Finland), from 4 to 6 June 2024, Ecologic Institute's Doris Knoblauch presented the findings of two projects in a workshop dealing with "Governing urban climate transformations: Towards climate neutrality and resilience".

In this article, the authors, including Anthony Cox of Ecologic Institute, highlight there is little appetite among WTO members for modernizing multilateral subsidy rules at a time when many countries are introducing new forms of support that could potentially exacerbate existing policy disincentives for globally sustainable economic and environmental outcomes.

Hugh McDonald presented preliminary findings from the final report "Funding climate friendly soil management: Appropriate policy instruments and limits of market-based approaches" to an audience of more than 100 staff from the German Environment Agency.

This policy brief highlights the need for a systemic and integrated approach to support the transition to climate friendly and resilient agri-food systems in CEE countries. The brief underlines how the key policy instruments that countries have at their disposal – the Common Agricultural Policy, National Energy and Climate Plans, and policies to support sustainable food consumption – can be better used to support such an integrated approach. Finally, the brief points to the importance of setting clear goals, as well as developing societal support, and capacities for the transition.

The EU Methane Regulation (EU-MER) is crucial for reducing methane emissions from the energy sector, thereby enhancing our chances at achieving the climate targets. This paper describes the tasks of the Member States' responsible ministries and competent authorities, analyses the resources they will need to accomplish them, and provides recommendations for effective planning. 

The EU Methane Regulation (EU-MER) is crucial for reducing methane (CH4) emissions from the energy sector, thereby enhancing our chances at achieving the climate targets. This paper discusses the respective roles of the responsible ministries (RM) and the competent authorities (CA) and examines how the CA's tasks can be allocated to various pre-existing agencies at the national or regional level. Additionally, the working paper discusses the importance of political autonomy for CA and how MS can prevent undue influence.

This publication discusses the penalty regime to be established by the EU Member States to sanction infringements against the recently adopted EU Methane Regulation (EU-MER). In these regimes, (administrative) fines will play a major role. The EU-MER stipulates that the level of fines must be proportionate to the environmental damage and impact on human health associated with the infringement as the core criterion. The working paper proposes applying a core reference value of 6.000 EUR/tCH4 to be adjusted according to the aggravating or mitigating factors foreseen by the regulation.