Finding a place for public participation in the policies and practices of European river basin management planning is a challenge for the authorities in the participating countries and territories. Understanding the relationship between national culture, the historical and political differences in the respective countries, and their practical experience with participation is considered important in the implementation of the EU Water Framework Directive. Knowledge and understanding of this relationship will help to provide a context and basis from which new participatory practices can be designed and experiences evaluated, and will also facilitate the identification of conditions necessary for social learning.

<p>&#13; Environmental Security has gained importance in the current political discourse. Last year's discussions in the Security Council give testimony to this development. During a presentation given at the Bonn International Centre for Conversion (BICC), Nils Meyer-Ohlendorf analyses whether and to what extent relevant security strategies of the US, the UN and EU integrate environmental aspects.</p>&#13;

Recent G8 summits have taken up the issue of climate change. Climate change featured high on the agendas of the 2005 summit in Gleneagles and the 2007 summit in Heiligendamm. Henrike Peichert and Nils Meyer-Ohlendorf analyse in this paper the recent G8 Summit outcomes and their practical impacts on international climate change negotiations under the UNFCCC. The paper argues that G8 Summit outcomes seem to yield overall positive influence on the UNFCCC processes, although more ambitious action needs to be taken and – most importantly – implemented. The paper was presented at the 2007 annual Conference of the British International Studies Association in Cambridge (BISA) and is available for download.

The International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA) is the most recent piece in the current regime complex on plant genetic resources. In their article for the Journal of World Intellectual Property, Christiane Gerstetter, Benjamin Görlach, Kirsten Neumann and Dora Schaffrin investigate the legal relationship between the ITPGRFA, the Convention on Biological Diversity, the TRIPS Agreements of the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the Acts of the International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV).

The Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) initiated the first regional greenhouse gas emissions trading system in the United States. This cap-and-trade program will begin on 1 January 2009 and will include sources from the electricity generating sector. The article by Camilla Bausch and Sandra Cavalieri analyses the implementation design of the RGGI trading scheme and its significance for the evolution of the international carbon market.

On 28 November 2007, an Ecologic Transatlantic Riverside Chat brought together Dr. J. Morgan Williams and Jay Benforado to share and discuss perspectives on European policies regarding renewable energy and innovative approaches towards sustainability. The speakers highlighted the strength of European and German positive attitudes towards renewable energy, while stressing the continuous challenge the transition towards a sustainable energy system still imposes. Opportunities and challenges for innovation and leadership were the recurring central themes of the discussion, which took place between policy makers and representatives from think tanks, business, NGOs and Academia.

The EU has set ambitious targets to raise the share of renewable energies, particularly biofuels. This article, written by Stephanie Schlegel and Timo Kaphengst, discusses the role that bioenergy plays in the European policy context and the approach the EU is currently following to ensure the sustainability of biofuels. It addresses the limits of the chosen approach, concluding that certification schemes can not serve as the only safeguard for sustainable bioenergy, but need to be complemented by other tools and policies.

On 11 October 2007, a transatlantic Ecologic Dinner Dialogue was held in Berlin to celebrate the launch of The Nature Conservancy’s (TNC) first European office and to discuss EU and US policies on biodiversity and climate change. The guest of honor, Rebecca Patton, Chief Conservation Strategies Officer for The Nature Conservancy (TNC), was joined by her colleagues Sascha Müller-Kraenner, the new European Representative as well as Roberto Troya, Director of International Government Relations and Andreas Lehnhoff, Director for the Mesoamerica &amp; Caribbean for the Conservancy. The keynote speaker was Miranda Schreurs, Professor at the Free University in Berlin, who is an expert in transatlantic environmental policy.

<p>&#13; At the 7th meeting of the European Commission‘s "Expert Group on Cross Compliance" Stephanie Schlegel, Fellow at Ecologic, gave a presentation on cross compliance and certification schemes, discussing the potential links and synergies between the two approaches. Her presentation is available for download.</p>

<p>&#13; The Oikos-conference “Limits to growth – growing beyond limits“ took place from 18.-19. Oktober in St.Gallen (Switzerland). Different actors from research, economy and politics discussed the relationship between sustainable development and economic growth. During a workshop on limits to growth for renewable energies, Timo Kaphengst gave a presentation on the economic and political framework of bioenergy production as well as on the social and environmental impacts of the current bioenergy boom. His presentation is available for download.</p>&#13;

<p>&#13; A conference on managing water resources in European mountain environments took place in the context of the Marie Curie Training Programme European Water Sustainable Goals (ESWG 2007-2010). Eleftheria Kampa spoke on heavily modified water bodies and hydromorphological pressures in the Water Framework Directive. Her presentation is available for download.</p>&#13;

In order to support the impact assessment of the EU's Communication on Water Scarcity and Droughts (July 2007), Ecologic Institute analysed Europe's water saving potential by 2030. The study addresses the savings that can be achieved via technical measures without major changes in human behaviour or production patterns. Depending on the sector analysed (Agriculture, Tourism, Households, Energy and Industry), potential water savings up to 90% were identified. The study is available for download.