As part of its Regulatory Fitness and Performance Programme (REFIT), the Commission is undertaking a Fitness Check of the Birds and Habitats Directives. This comprehensive, evidence-based assessment of the current regulatory framework determines if it is 'fit for purpose' and delivering against...

Since 2012 the European Commission has been actively exploring how to best optimise water reuse in the EU, as a way to help solve the issue of water scarcity and droughts and help deliver the objectives of the Water Framework Directive. In this context it has conducted several rounds of...

The aims of the project are to "provide independent, sound and timely advice on the completion of the impact assessment of policy options to be developed in the context of water reuse". As part of the development of the project, the original tasks and timing of this project were revised to...

In order to support businesses in improving their resource efficiency, Member States use a variety of approaches, ranging from voluntary to regulatory measures. This study assesses the scope of application of ten relevant measures and provides good practice cases of these ten measures across...

This study provides the findings of a Regulatory Fitness (REFIT) evaluation for the Regulation covering the European Pollutant Release and Transfer Register (E-PRTR) (EC/166/2006). The REFIT evaluation was carried out in tandem with the triennial review of the implementation of E-PRTR, which is...

Phasing out subsidies to producers and users of fossil fuels is increasingly seen as an attractive policy option for climate change mitigation and resource efficiency. A major obstacle to this seemingly obvious strategy is the lack of agreement on the definition of a fossil fuel subsidy and on a...

The circular economy is rapidly rising up political and business agendas. In contrast to today's largely linear, 'take-make-use-dispose' economy, a circular economy represents a development strategy that enables economic growth while aiming to optimise the chain of consumption of biological and...

The protection of the environment is a long-standing and important goal of the EU. It is a prominent objective under the primary law of the EU, and the EU has consequently developed a relatively comprehensive biodiversity policy framework, at the heart of which lie the Birds Directive and...

The objectives of the report were to provide information on how inspections are currently being undertaken for selected Member States in the policy areas of water, nature protection and CITES so as to identify their strengths and weaknesses. Furthermore, combined with information from other...