Sustainable energy is fundamental to social and economic development and to power sustainable growth. It is needed to improve livelihoods in developing countries, ensuring access to clean water, cooking, education and healthcare for their people. Energy poverty is also among the root causes of...

The context for this study is the Bristol Accord that was agreed at the European Ministerial Informal meeting in Bristol, United Kingdom, on 6th-7th December 2005. The report reviews progress across Europe, identifies a selection of case studies and suggests further work is required to elaborate...

Die Auswirkungen unseres Konsums sind weltweit spürbar: Die EU ist abhängig von der Einfuhr von Energie und Rohstoffen, und ein immer größerer Anteil der in Europa verbrauchten Produkte wird in anderen Teilen der Welt produziert. Nicht-nachhaltige Verbrauchs- und Produktionsmuster haben...

This review of the strategic evaluations carried out on behalf of the European Commission’s Directorate-General for International Co-operation and Development (DG DEVCO) is part of a DG DEVCO and European External Action Service (EEAS) exercise aimed at updating the European Consensus on...

This information note is part of the European Commission's Agenda for Change, in which sustainable agriculture is a priority. It begins with an executive summary (Chapter 2), followed by a discussion of the importance of smallholder access to agricultural markets in Chapter 3. Chapters 4 to 7...

This Country Focus discusses the relation between public investment and economic growth in Poland. Theoretical and empirical work has shown that improvements in the quantity and quality of public infrastructure have a positive impact on growth in the medium and, possibly, in the long run. The...

Following several years of low growth Germany is presently enjoying a relatively strong recovery. With unemployment falling at record speed and fiscal consolidation progressing, the upswing is set to continue in spite of uncertainties surrounding the VAT increase of January 2007. This Country...

The Czech financial sector has changed dramatically since transition. In fifteen years, it has developed from a state-owned mono-bank into a privatised bank-based financial system with developing capital and private equity markets. This country focus analyses the development of the financial...

Since 1995 Germany has barely managed to grow by 1.2% annually, with growth over the last four years averaging only 0.6%. In 2005, growth will again be below1%. With these low growth rates Germany has clearly fallen behind all the other European countries. The German economy is suffering from a...