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The author examines the tension between maintaining the US-led 'nuclear sharing' system and pursuing European strategic autonomy. While some propose a Franco-German nuclear cooperation to replace the US umbrella, the author warns against European militarism and instead advocates for a diplomatic strategy of preventive denuclearization, drawing on the Rapacki Plan to reduce nuclear stockpiles in Europe and move toward a world without nuclear weapons.

The document outlines a four-step process for governments to leverage mining investments for national development: aligning with national objectives, taking stock of current capabilities, crafting specific policies, and establishing monitoring mechanisms. It details five types of local content policies: local procurement, direct employment, horizontal linkages (infrastructure and capabilities), downstream beneficiation, and the fostering of national mining firms. The guide emphasizes that policies must be context-specific, gender-equitable, and compliant with international trade and investment laws, while warning that automation may reduce future employment and procurement opportunities.

The document outlines a four-step process for governments to integrate the mining sector into national development plans through local content policies. It categorizes these policies into five main types: local procurement, direct local employment, horizontal linkages (infrastructure and capacity), downstream linkages (product enrichment), and the strengthening of national mining companies. The guide emphasizes that there is no one-size-fits-all model, as success depends on a country's specific industrial base, skills availability, and business climate. It also addresses cross-cutting challenges, such as the impact of automation on employment and the potential conflicts between local content requirements and international trade and investment laws.

The paper concludes that a regional SACU stabilisation fund is inappropriate and infeasible because member states experience different degrees of revenue volatility driven by different sources. While Lesotho, Namibia, and eSwatini are primarily affected by the SACU revenue pool's distribution formula, Botswana is driven by commodity revenues and South Africa by its internal tax base. The author argues that the core issue for the BLNS countries is the current revenue-sharing formula, which links their revenues to South African import patterns. The paper recommends that member states focus on revising the revenue-sharing formula or implementing country-level fiscal tools—such as medium-term expenditure frameworks, fiscal rules, or national stabilisation funds—rather than pursuing a regional fund.

The report exposes the Ngoki oil project in the Republic of Congo as a high-risk venture characterized by corruption, environmental negligence, and potentially exaggerated oil reserves. It highlights the project's threat to the world's largest tropical peatlands in the Cuvette Centrale, which store 30 billion tonnes of carbon. The investigation reveals that the project is controlled by businessman Claude Wilfrid Etoka, who has close ties to President Sassou-Nguesso's family and whose company, SARPD Oil, was dropped by BNP Paribas due to corruption risks. Furthermore, the report argues that the project's Environmental Impact Assessment is "unfit for purpose" as it predates the discovery of the peatlands. It also notes that oil majors Total and ENI have interests in the region, and calls for donors to the Central African Forest Initiative (CAFI) and financial institutions to halt support for oil exploration in these sensitive ecosystems.

The report examines seven international examples of soil remediation financing, ranging from federal programs like the US Superfund to private equity funds like Ginkgo Fund I. It identifies that while the 'polluter pays' principle is a common legal baseline, its implementation varies, often requiring public grants or innovative funds to bridge funding gaps. Key findings highlight that urban sites with high redevelopment potential are more likely to attract private investment, whereas rural or highly toxic sites often rely on general fiscal revenue or industry-wide voluntary funds. The report concludes that there is no uniform approach to financing, and the choice of instrument must be fit-for-purpose based on the site's socioeconomic context and revenue potential.

Multiconsult Norge AS conducted a post-issuance verification of SpareBank 1 Boligkreditt's (SpaBol) EUR 1 billion green bond, concluding that the issuance conforms to the Climate Bonds Standard Version 2.1. The bond finances and refinances a mortgage pool of energy-efficient residential buildings in Norway. Eligibility is based on compliance with Norwegian building codes TEK07 (for houses) and TEK10 (for apartments) or later, which represent the top 15% most energy-efficient buildings in the country. The verifier found that the value of eligible mortgages in the portfolio is approximately twice the size of the EUR 1 billion bond issuance.

The briefing argues that methane mitigation in the oil and gas sector is technologically feasible and often cost-effective, but requires regulatory mandates rather than just voluntary actions to ensure uniform adoption. It highlights that a 50% reduction in emissions could be achieved at no net cost, providing a significant climate impact. Key barriers identified include limited capital for state-owned companies and insufficient monitoring staff in some countries, suggesting a need for innovative financing and third-party verification technologies.

The author examines the role of the Moscow-Washington 'hotline' and related communication channels in defusing tensions after the US military response to chemical weapons use in Douma, Syria. While the author criticizes the legal basis and evidentiary grounds of the strikes, they emphasize that dialogue between the superpowers prevented a wider conflict. The text also notes the implications for Norway's security and the internal US political dynamics that influenced the limited nature of the military response.

The study concludes that the EU could achieve greenhouse gas reductions of -55% to -62% below 1990 levels by 2030 by scaling best practice policies from member states like Denmark and Germany. Key levers include a faster coal exit, increased electrical energy efficiency, deeper building renovations, and higher emissions standards for transport. Implementing these measures could reduce energy demand by nearly 45% below 2007 levels and increase renewable energy's share of total final energy demand to 45%, suggesting that political will, rather than technical capacity, is the primary barrier to more ambitious targets.

The policy brief contends that climate risks are often 'borderless' and that treating adaptation as a local problem hinders global ambition. It advocates for a shared terminology and a transboundary framing of risk—recognizing how impacts in one country create risks in others via trade, migration, and ecosystems—to better utilize the Paris Agreement's mechanisms, such as the global stocktake and National Adaptation Plans, for collective resilience.

The author argues that opposition to immigration is a pervasive popular movement across Europe, regardless of a country's ethnic homogeneity or immigration policy. This trend is contributing to political polarization and a potential 'de-democratization' process, particularly as it aligns with skepticism toward supranational solutions like the EU. The text highlights a divide between 'new' and 'old' Europe, noting that some Eastern European countries lack the same norms of tolerance as Western Europe, which influences their resistance to EU refugee quotas.

The report argues that the UK's current vehicle taxation system is insufficient to meet legal air quality limits and the 2040 target for banning new internal combustion engine vehicles. It proposes a three-tiered strategy: mandating charging Clean Air Zones in the short term, replacing the plug-in grant with a time-limited VAT rebate for ULEVs in the medium term, and developing a road-user charging system in the long term to replace eroding fuel duty revenues.

The document examines the shift in the perception of smartphones for refugees from humanitarian assets to instruments of state surveillance. It details how several European governments are implementing or proposing legislation to search digital devices to verify identities and conduct security screenings. The authors argue that this practice raises critical questions regarding proportionality, the right to privacy, and the digital vulnerability of migrants, warning that digital data is not a 'silver bullet' for truth and can be manipulated or misinterpreted.

The OSCE has struggled to implement its 2004 Gender Action Plan due to increased political polarisation, a consensus-based decision-making rule that grants all 57 participating States veto power, and budget constraints. While conservative states and the Holy See have resisted the 'gender' agenda, the document argues that the OSCE's field missions provide a critical opportunity to implement gender-oriented policies on the ground, provided their autonomy is protected from political turmoil.

The report evaluates ten climate solutions across five European countries, finding a total abatement potential of 149 Mt CO2eq by 2030, representing 13% of the region's projected emissions. Energy efficiency in buildings and industry are identified as the most cost-effective solutions, offering net savings, while onshore wind and solar power provide significant potential, particularly in the Baltic states. The study highlights that while Poland and Ukraine offer the highest absolute abatement, the relative impact is greater in Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. Key barriers include policies favoring fossil fuels and market uncertainty, while enablers include EU regulations and declining renewable technology costs.

The briefing argues that climate adaptation is currently undervalued and incorrectly viewed as a local problem, which hinders global ambition. It proposes a 'transboundary' approach to climate risk, recognizing that impacts in one country create risks in others through trade, biophysical flows, people, and finance. The authors review progress from COP23 and suggest that the Paris Agreement's mechanisms—such as the global stocktake and National Adaptation Plans—should be operationalized to track and manage these cross-border risks to avoid 'climate change contagion' in the global economy.

The document advocates for a managed decline in global fossil fuel production to meet Paris Agreement goals, suggesting that supply-side policies complement demand-side efforts to reduce emissions and carbon lock-in. It proposes using NDCs, long-term strategies, and a global stocktake to track production phase-downs while ensuring a just transition for affected workers and economies.

The document details various green asset-backed securities (ABS) and aggregation mechanisms used to fund low-carbon transitions. It highlights specific instruments such as synthetic ABS, PACE ABS, solar ABS, and green covered bonds, providing examples of issuers and the types of underlying assets—ranging from energy-efficient mortgages to electric vehicle leases—that enable institutional investors to finance smaller-scale green assets.

The document reviews the integration of human rights and social principles across four key areas of the Paris Agreement implementation guidelines: Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), Adaptation Communications, the Enhanced Transparency Framework (ETF), and the Global Stocktake (GST). It highlights that while some parties, notably Norway, Canada, and the African Group of Negotiators, have pushed for the inclusion of human rights and gender equality, these elements often remain absent from co-facilitator summaries or are limited to specific contexts like adaptation. The briefing notes that the role of civil society and intergovernmental organizations in the ETF and GST processes is a critical factor for ensuring social dimensions are considered in future climate action.