The European Parliament's Environment Committee often needs to rapidly react to Commission proposals, and at the same time often needs a solid basis to develop own initiatives within its field of responsibility. Short written briefing notes help to improve the legislative assistance to its Members and strengthen the Committee’s competence in this respect.

In a seminal paper, Ecologic argues for using the 'Open Method of Co-ordination' (OMC) in EU environmental policy. OMC is currently successfully employed to drive and align economic and social policies. Ecologic's paper dispels concerns and criticism of OMC and describes how OMC can be combined with more traditional methods used in the European Community.

R. Andreas Kraemer presented Ecologic's paper on "The Role of Tradable Permits in Water Pollution Control" in Santiago de Chile. The paper – which is available for download –  served as a conceptual framework to support discussions at the Technical Seminar on the Feasibility of the Application of Tradable Water Permits for Water Management in Chile (13-14 November 2003).

The implementation of policies to mainstream environmental issues into international organisations and their activities represents an important part of the sustainable development agenda. To this end, Ecologic supports the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in preparing a UNDP Practice Note on Mainstreaming Environment.

Sustainable development calls for the integration of environmental protection requirements into international development projects. Ecologic assists the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in creating a UNDP Strategy on Environmental Mainstreaming.

The Round Table is intended to further the international discussion on the issue of universal membership in UNEP and to possibly develop a common understanding and set of strategies within the European Union.

Soil is the basis of all economic and cultural activities; however, this "fundamental" economic value of soil is barely recognised. As part of a project for the European Commission, Ecologic and the French Geological Survey (BRGM) will therefore estimate the economic consequences that the continued degradation of European soils implies.

A report by Prof. Konrad von Moltke on the state of WTO-negotiations on paragraph 31 (ii) Doha Development Agenda (Information Exchange between MEAs and the WTO and Observer Status of MEA-Secretariats in relevant WTO Committees) has now been published. The report was presented by Matthias Buck (policy advisor of Ecologic) at the EU-China-Dialogue on Trade and Environment, 24-25 July 2003 in Dalian, China.

Nature protection policy and environmental measures within development and international cooperation play a central role in conflicts over resources. Since the mid-nineties, the topic of globalization was making all the headlines. Since September 2001, global security has dominated the international agenda. Against the background of this development, a special meaning is given to global environmental governance as well as the development of the concept of sustainability. A paper by Sascha Müller-Kraenner and Uwe Brendle.

The way in which international legal disputes can be settled has become a topic of much debate. There is talk of a stagnation of public international law; this has been exacerbated by complicated, inefficient mechanisms and has led to the general perception of this type of law as a blunt sword in the fight for justice. The international law of the sea presented in this article exemplifies ways in which public international law can be improved.

This report aimed to provide an overview of developments in the myriad of international treaties that impact on the conservation and sustainable use of forests. The report focussed particularly on developments relating to public participation of affected stakeholders.

Sustainable Consumption is one of the key factors on the way to Sustainable Development. So far, the implementation of sustainable consumption lacks legally binding international obligations. This study therefore identifies whether and to what extent existing international agreements or organisations could serve as a tool to implement aspects of sustainable development. In addition, the study offers recommendations how further policy integration in the field of sustainable consumption can be achieved. Particular emphasis is placed on international trade law.

This report surveys the WTO rules relating to sustainable forest management. The first version was prepared for distribution at the 4th WTO Ministerial Conference in Doha, and the final version was presented at the second session of the UN Forum on Forests.

This study aimed at presenting options for achieving coherence between MEAs and the WTO, and was prepared with a view to influencing the 4th Ministerial Conference of the WTO, held in Doha in November 2002.