Ecologic Institute Newsletter No 285 – June 2026

Dear readers,

The environmental and societal challenges of our time are increasingly intertwined. Today, effective solutions do not emerge in isolation; they are born at the intersection of different governance levels, policy fields, and scientific perspectives.

To address these dynamics with greater impact, Ecologic Institute is sharpening its strategic focus.  

We are integrating our diverse scientific expertise into four new programmes: Climate, Resources, Water, and Nature & People. Rather than simple organisational units, these programmes are designed as dynamic hubs for transdisciplinary collaboration and innovation. For our partners, this evolution means a clearer profile, enhanced accessibility, and more agile co-creation.

To lead this transition, the programmes are steered by directors who guide the institute’s strategic path and represent our expertise at the highest levels: The joint leadership of the Climate Programme by the two new Directors, Eike Karola Velten and Matthias Duwe, reflects our commitment to integration. Together, they combine expertise in climate governance, policy implementation, economics, data-based analysis, and international climate diplomacy, the essential components for navigating today’s ecological realities.

Simultaneously, Doris Knoblauch takes the helm as Director of the Resources Programme, tackling a defining question of future prosperity: How can societies reduce their resource consumption while simultaneously securing prosperity and social quality of life? Under her leadership, the programme will focus on promoting sustainable resource use, further developing the circular economy, the bioeconomy, and the food sector, as well as supporting systemic changes toward more sustainable production and consumption patterns.

The strategic alignment of our Water, and Nature & People Programmes will follow. We look forward to continuing our work with you under this new, strengthened structure.

Enjoy the reading,

Christoph Heinrich
Executive Director

The new EU Environmental Crime Directive aims to strengthen the prosecution and sanctioning of environmental offences. The article provides an overview of the key provisions of the Directive with a focus on water protection offences. Based on the planned implementation in Germany, it also examines the extent to which the Directive facilitates the prosecution of water crime.

According to a leaked draft, the European Commission is considering a three-year grace period during which no penalties would be imposed for breaches of the EU Methane Regulation's requirements for imported fossil fuels. This paper argues against such a grace period for violations of the reporting requirements under Article 27. For these requirements, the ordinary enforcement regime poses no threat to EU energy security and already includes safeguards for importers making genuine efforts to comply. A grace period, by contrast, would weaken compliance incentives and undermine the regulation's climate objectives and the EU's regulatory credibility.

The penalty regimes for violations of the EU Methane Regulation (EUMR) must be adopted by the Member States in accordance with Article 33 EUMR. This report examines the penalty provisions contained in the draft legal act proposed by the Romanian government in April 2026. It identifies significant elements of non-compliance. The main concerns include the risk that only a single sanction may be imposed for an unlimited number of infringements within the same oil and gas field, that penalties for violations at large assets are subject to ministerial discretion, that penalty levels are very low and lack a deterrent effect, that the draft contains important loopholes and that it does not implement specific requirements of Article 33 EUMR.

The demands for soil protection have changed considerably over the past two decades. This study outlines measures to strengthen preventive soil protection presents a fully drafted legal text for revising Germany’s outdated Federal Soil Protection Act. The proposal introduces targets and criteria for assessing good soil status, new instruments to limit land take, and provisions to protect carbon-rich soils. It also specifies requirements for soil monitoring, data exchange, and enforcement. The report provides a comprehensive technical basis and concrete legal text for the further development of soil protection law in Germany.

As the European emissions trading continues to expand, the demands on an effective sanctions regime are increasing. This report analyses the current sanctions regime in emissions trading and puts forward proposals for its further development. The report focuses on administrative offence law, including corporate liability in the delegation of tasks, the introduction of a catalogue of administrative fines, and cases with international implications. The recommendations aim both at the enforcement of existing regulations and legislative amendments. 

The MEER-STARK project has published its final results on strengthening climate resilience and marine conservation in the North and Baltic Seas. The study highlights ecological restoration, adaptive spatial planning, and coordinated governance as key strategies for protecting marine ecosystems under climate change. It also emphasizes improved implementation of existing policies to address eutrophication and stronger support for nature-based coastal protection. The findings provide practical recommendations for a more resilient and sustainable marine policy.

Tropical coastal regions are increasingly exposed to sea-level rise, extreme weather events, and coastal hazards. The discussion paper examines how mangroves and coral reefs can reduce erosion, storm surges and flooding while supporting biodiversity and local livelihoods. Drawing on international case studies, it identifies key success factors and reviews financing instruments for ecosystem-based adaptation, offering guidance for integrating these measures into long-term coastal and climate adaptation strategies. 

Nature-based solutions are designed to address environmental and climate challenges, yet many of the communities most affected by these issues remain underrepresented in decision-making. A The Nature of Cities roundtable brings together 29 contributors from around the world to discuss what meaningful participation and environmental justice can look like in practice. The contributions identify barriers to equitable engagement and outline approaches that enable affected stakeholders to shape planning and decision-making processes from the outset. 

Chairing: Hugh McDonald

At CRCF Days 2026, Hugh McDonald supported the European Commission in designing the first conference day dedicated to permanent carbon dioxide removals and moderated the opening session. Discussions focused on boosting voluntary demand through an EU Buyers Club, the potential for demand via ETS integration, and the conditions needed for investment, infrastructure, and finance sector buy-in. Building a European market for permanent carbon removals requires not only technological progress but also reliable policy frameworks and sufficient demand.

At the Parliamentary Marine Breakfast on 9 June 2026, at the German Bundestag, representatives from politics, development cooperation, and nature conservation discussed how Germany can support local marine conservation approaches in the long term. Dr. Grit Martinez represented the Ecologic Institute. Using Mozambique as an example, the discussion addressed experiences with community-based marine conservation as well as challenges posed by climate change and biodiversity loss. The discussion focused on how local communities and international partnerships can strengthen the effectiveness of nature-based conservation measures. This ties directly into the findings of the TROPICAL ADAPT research project led by the Ecologic Institute.

On 10 June 2026, Ecologic Institute co-organised a session on the EU Nature Restoration Regulation (NRR) at the Biodiversa+ workshop “Toward Nature-Positive Finance: Scientific Foundations for Action”, where it also participated as an invited expert. The session highlighted the need for long-term financing mechanisms to support ecosystem restoration at scale. The workshop also launched a new Biodiversa+ policy brief on public-private partnerships for nature restoration, underscoring the growing role of private capital and cross-sector collaboration in advancing a nature-positive economy. 

On 24 June 2026, Ecologic Institute, Trinity College Dublin and WWF Sweden will host an online stakeholder consultation on the further development of a Nature-Positive Economy Roadmap for Europe. The event will discuss opportunities, implementation challenges and enabling conditions for economic transformation. It will also present emerging findings from the Horizon Europe project GoNaturePositive! and gather feedback to inform the next steps in developing the roadmap. 

On 8 July 2026, experts from agriculture, processing and marketing will discuss logistics solutions for regional organic products in Brandenburg. The event will present practical examples of transportation, aggregation and intermediate storage, and explore digital tools and cooperative approaches. Participants will assess which solutions are already working, where bottlenecks remain, and how connectivity across regional organic value chains can be strengthened.

On 12 and 13 October 2026, experts will meet in Berlin to discuss how carbon storage in North Sea and Baltic Sea seagrass ecosystems can be assessed more effectively. The workshop will compare modelling approaches and examine the influence of eutrophication on carbon dynamics and the effectiveness of measures. The results will inform joint recommendations for policy and practice and contribute to a planned policy brief. Contributions can be submitted until 30 August 2026.