How does the communication between providers of climate data and political decision makers work? This question was the central point of a three-day workshop held in Berlin and Timmendorfer Beach from 15 to 17 June 2011. Scientists and stakeholders from administrations and political bodies from different Baltic countries first met at Ecologic Institute in Berlin to discuss different aspects of the availability of regional climate facts. The second part of the workshop was held at a local Baltic venue - in Timmendorfer Strand, where a case study on the engagement of local stakeholders was examined.

This joint event was part of two FP7 projects: OPEN:EU and INSTREAM and was organised by the Institute for European Environmental Policy (IEEP) and Ecologic Institute Berlin. It brought together experts, statisticians, policy makers and representatives of civil society organisations to discuss and share experiences on how to improve the use of indicators to assess progress on economic and sustainability goals.

The EU has taken a first step towards reducing its environmental impacts on the Arctic region by investigating EU-driven pressures on the Arctic. Vice President of the European Parliament, Diana Wallis; Iceland's Senior Arctic Official, Greta Gunnarsdottir; and Nicholas Hanley, Head of the International Relations and Enlargement Unit for DG Environment, welcomed over 60 experts from government and civil society in Brussels to discuss the implications of a new report, the EU Arctic Footprint and Policy Assessment, which shows that the EU is already addressing many Arctic environmental challenges, but that certain new and growing impacts must be addressed, both through EU and multilateral efforts.