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The report evaluates EU progress toward ending overfishing by 2020, finding that more than half of the assessed TACs for 2019 still exceeded scientific advice. It highlights inconsistent adherence to advice for data-limited stocks and identifies several Member States that pushed for unsustainable catch limits.

The report finds that the EU missed its 2020 deadline to end overfishing, with nearly half of the analyzed TACs for 2020 still exceeding scientific advice. It highlights a systemic failure to follow precautionary advice for data-limited stocks and a tendency to prioritize target stocks over bycatch stocks. The analysis identifies specific Member States—including France, Ireland, and Spain—as frequently pushing for unsustainable catch limits based on unsubstantiated socio-economic claims. The document also criticizes the lack of transparency in the TAC-setting process and the potential for misleading reporting by the European Commission.

The report argues that the UK, the Netherlands, and Germany are in breach of the EU Habitats Directive by failing to implement effective management measures for the Dogger Bank SACs. It concludes that most bottom-contacting fishing gears cause significant harm to the H1110 sandbank habitat and should be halted to restore the site's integrity.

The policy brief examines how the EU can support the implementation of the AfCFTA to foster African economic integration and resilience. It identifies structural hurdles such as non-tariff barriers and infrastructure deficits, and recommends that the EU reorient its trade support, focus on institutional capacity building, coordinate efforts to match local needs, and engage directly with the African private sector.

The report argues that the EU Commission should integrate climate and environmental protection objectives into its State aid decision-making process to ensure that national economic recovery programmes are consistent with the European Green Deal and the goal of climate neutrality by 2050.

The document identifies critical gaps in the EU's approach to endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs), noting that current laws fail to account for non-monotonic dose responses and the irreversibility of EDC effects. It argues that the EU has a legal and moral obligation under the precautionary principle to prevent harm, particularly to vulnerable populations like children. To address these failures, the brief proposes three primary actions: launching a broad REACH restriction for already identified EDCs based on existing lists, updating chemical screening systems through implementing acts and guidance to eliminate 'blind spots', and adopting a new legislative act to create a coordinated, continuously updated EU list of EDCs that automatically triggers regulatory consequences across all sectors.

The report finds that 11 of 18 EU coal-using countries lack Paris-compatible phase-out plans, with seven not planning to exit coal by 2030 and four replacing coal with increased fossil gas. It argues that the Just Transition Fund's current allocation methodology risks funding 'climate laggards,' as nearly two-thirds of the fund would go to countries without 2030 phase-out plans. The authors recommend making fund access conditional on ambitious coal phase-out dates and strictly excluding all fossil fuels, including gas, from the fund's scope.

The 'Mission Blue' workshop, organized by the BONUS RETURN project, engaged 49 stakeholders from seven countries to develop five prototype interventions to combat eutrophication in the Baltic Sea. Using a three-step 'Cook, Incubation, and Evaluation' methodology, participants combined 21 pre-defined measures across coordination, data, ecotechnologies, and policy categories. The resulting interventions focused on nutrient circularity, ranging from improving knowledge transfer between farmers and authorities to integrating sea-based mussel farming with land-based nutrient management. The report discusses the challenges of operationalizing mission-oriented policies, emphasizing the need to move beyond 'silo' organizational structures, align local capacities with strategic visions, and utilize public procurement to drive circular business models.

The document provides a comprehensive overview of the WTO's efforts to discipline fisheries subsidies. It details three main pillars: prohibiting subsidies for IUU fishing, addressing subsidies for overexploited fish stocks, and tackling overcapacity and overfishing. The brief outlines the current areas of convergence, such as the use of FAO definitions for IUU fishing, and the remaining points of contention, including the specific triggers for subsidy prohibitions, the level of deference given to national or regional determinations, and the appropriate special and differential treatment for developing countries and Least Developed Countries (LDCs).

The document details a workshop focused on transitioning the Öresund region toward a sustainable bioeconomy by 2050. It examines the role of Foodhills, a reference test and pilot plant in Bjuv, Sweden, in achieving circular food production. Key discussions emphasize the need for zero carbon footprints, fully circular resource flows, and climate change adaptation, such as no-tillage and multi-cropping. The report identifies critical success factors including cross-sectoral cooperation, consumer education on environmental footprints, and the pursuit of high-risk, ambitious projects like large-scale greenhouse production of tropical crops.

In the first half of 2020, renewable electricity generation in the EU-27 reached 40%, surpassing fossil fuel generation at 34%. This shift was driven by record wind and solar penetration and a 7% drop in electricity demand caused by COVID-19. Coal generation fell by 32%, contributing to a 23% reduction in power sector CO2 emissions. While grids remained stable, the increase in renewables led to more frequent negative wholesale electricity prices, indicating a need for greater system flexibility. Poland emerged as the most coal-dependent EU country, generating as much coal-fired electricity as the other 25 EU members combined.

In 2019, wind and solar generated 8.2% of global electricity, with the EU leading at 18%. The report highlights that wind and solar are now the cheapest new generation sources for two-thirds of the global population and that electricity grids remained stable during the 2020 Covid-19 lockdowns even as renewable shares reached record highs in countries like Denmark (65%), Germany (45%), and Greece (41%). To limit temperature increase to 1.5 degrees, the report notes that coal's market share must drop from 35% to 8% by 2030, requiring wind and solar's share to increase to approximately 29%.

The report identifies five major barriers to climate-aligned finance: structural challenges to influencing the real economy, competitive disadvantage, varying alignment methodologies, multiple decarbonization pathways, and inadequate data. It argues that while divestment alone is insufficient, financial institutions can use levers such as sustainability-linked loans, transition finance, and collective action initiatives (e.g., Climate Action 100+, Poseidon Principles) to drive decarbonization. The document emphasizes the need for harmonized assessment methodologies, industry-informed decarbonization pathways, and standardized reporting to move the financial sector from a reactive to a proactive role in the low-carbon transition.

As of July 2020, 19 countries and the European Union have adopted net-zero targets. The document compares these targets across several dimensions: the coverage of greenhouse gases (GHGs) and domestic sectors, the target year for achievement, whether separate emissions reduction targets exist, the use of international GHG mitigation, and the legal status of the targets.

The document outlines a framework for establishing comprehensive net-zero targets, emphasizing the need for all-sector and all-gas coverage, the setting of separate emissions reduction targets to avoid over-reliance on carbon removals, and the importance of transparent communication and participatory design processes.

The authors contend that the EU suffers from diffuse accountability and a 'double deadlock' caused by a reliance on closed-door Franco-German agreements. They argue that Germany's role as a 'benevolent hegemon' is problematic because Berlin seeks to minimize costs and maximize control over debtor states while remaining reluctant to fully embrace its power. The text suggests that the only way to break this impasse is through 'transnational politics'—the creation of shifting alliances across national borders and the engagement of civil society—to replace the current 'constructive ambiguity' of European diplomacy.

The briefing argues that Covid-19 response policies for the fisheries sector should not merely provide financial relief but should be used to 'build back better' by integrating environmental and social goals. It introduces ten principles—including concurrent crisis response, efficiency, and conditionality—to evaluate support measures. The author advocates for income support over vessel-cost subsidies to avoid overcapacity and suggests that any support for fixed costs be conditional on environmental improvements, such as adopting low-impact gear. The document also warns against deregulation, such as increasing interannual quota flexibility, and calls for a long-term shift toward industry cost recovery for fisheries management.

The document advocates for the issuance of common European debt to fund a sustainable recovery from the Covid-19 crisis. It proposes a 'Green Solidarity Fund' that would exclude fossil fuel activities and prioritize environmental protection and social equity. The author argues that a green recovery is only possible if it includes a rapid phase-out of coal, oil, and gas to meet Paris Agreement goals, suggesting that the debt could be reimbursed through a carbon frontier tax or financial transaction taxes.

The report identifies the Swedish development research community as highly fragmented and dispersed across various universities and disciplines. While the field has expanded from traditional social sciences into natural sciences and medicine, this growth has led to increased competition for limited, short-term funding, primarily from the Swedish Research Council (VR) via the Uforsk instrument. The study highlights a significant gap in institutional support and a lack of formal networking platforms, which undermines research relevance and collaboration with practitioners. It recommends the institutionalization of the Swedish Development Research Network (SweDev) and the creation of specialized funding lines to bridge the gap between academia and policy.

The BONUS RETURN decision-support toolbox offers 16 tools to help decision-makers transition to a circular economy by adopting eco-technologies for nutrient and carbon recovery. It covers the entire innovation lifecycle, from identifying criteria through social innovation and multi-criteria analysis to promoting existing technologies via sustainable and circular public procurement. The guide also details methods for supporting pre-commercial innovation, such as innovation competitions, market surveys, independent comparative analyses, and testbed trials. It concludes by framing these tools within a Technological Innovation Systems (TIS) approach to create long-term strategic incentives and co-benefits for the Baltic Sea Region.