In the project report "Ecotax" Ecologic presents the state of the art and perspectives with regard to Environmental Tax Reform. The report reflects the scientific and political debate in Germany, as well as experiences in other European countries and the discussion on an EU-wide harmonisation of energy taxes.

This project analyzes the results of the meeting of the Ad Hoc Open-Ended Working Group on Access and Benefit Sharing, held in Bonn on 22-26 October 2001. The study has been elaborated with the view to informing the German negotiating position for the Sixth Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity.

This project analyses the importance of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and the relationship between the legal basis and the practical influence of NGOs in different areas of international environmental governance.

Around the world, benchmarking to compare the performance of water supply undertakings is attracting interest. The focus is on management aspects and efficiency, but environmental and resource protection have not yet been reflected adequately in most systems. This project provides presents an overview with examples of benchmarking systems from all over the world. Some systems developed by international organisations and from Member States of the European Union (other than Germany) are explained in more detail.

Following on the heels of the liberalisation of the telephone, electricity and gas industries, there is intensive talk of the liberalisation of the water supply, too. According to economic theory, greater competitive pressure is supposed to induce innovations and to lower expenses, bring fresh capital into the industry and help consumers by providing a better, cheaper supply. But unfortunately this is generally not the case in a "real" liberalisation, which involves such other factors as competition to win end customers or competition "on the market", in which case the discussion concentrates more on the competition "for the market" between suppliers of operator services.

The issue of financial transfers to developing countries is an integral part of the negotiations on completing the "unfinished business" of the Kyoto Protocol (KP) of 1997 to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (FCCC). Ecologic examines how such a Special Climate Change Fund could be developed and implemented.

There are several direct links between the WFD and nature conservation directives such as the Habitats and the Birds Directives. It is however mainly the integrated approach of the WFD which constitutes the closest link between these two areas. Ecologic analysed these aspects of the WFD and prepared a background paper on that issue.

This study examines the policy issues and discussions surrounding the intersection between trade liberalisation, agriculture, and biodiversity conservation.

This study analyses the relationship between sustainable forest management and international trade policy. Further it presents recommendations on how these two policy objectives can be mutually supportive.

The Directorate General for Research of the European Parliament (EP) launched - on request of the Committee of the Environment, Public Health and Consumer Protection - an external study on "Effluent Charging Systems in the EU Member States". This study focusses on economic instruments for regulating direct discharges of effluents into natural waters.