Martinez, Grit and Alexander Neubauer 2008: Identification and assessment of training needs, methods and activities for the wider use of environmental technologies in key sectors, Brussels.

As part of the Sustainable Development Strategy process, a conference entitled "Dialogue for the National Sustainable Development Strategy: How could its environmental profile be strengthened?" will be held on 18-19 March 2004. By means of this conference, the German Federal Environment Ministry is seeking to engage all stakeholders in a dialogue, to reflect on achievements and to come up with proposals for the further development of the strategy.

The German drinking water supply system is under pressure: European Commission plans indicate that the water supply should no longer be subject to municipal self-administration, but instead to European competition rules, and maybe even to a mandatory tendering procedure. Such a development would have far-reaching effects on the German drinking water supply. Against this background, Ecologic, in co-operation with the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung, invited political actors from the European and national level, as well as representatives from the water industry, to an expert workshop that took place on 21 January 2004 in Berlin.

Simon Marr, in collaboration with Arne Schwemer, contributed a chapter on the Precautionary Principle in German Environmental Law to the Yearbook of European Environmental Law, which, in its third volume, focuses on the implementation of legal principles in EC environmental law.

What are the impacts of European infringement procedures regarding the non-compliance with nature conservation legislation on certain areas? And, to what extent can protected areas contribute to fulfill the requirements of the nature conservation legislation by means of sustainable management with appropriate financing?

Commissioned by the secretariat of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), Ecologic is preparing an official handbook on the UNFCCC.

Labour unions have a significant impact on consumption and production patterns. By means of case studies from Germany, Great Britain, the USA, South Africa and Indonesia, Ecologic examines the current attitude of unions towards sustainable consumption and production patterns. The final report identifies labour unions' potential future contribution to advancing sustainable development and ways to further strengthen their involvement in the respective national and international governance processes.

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.