ongoing
BOOST-IN
European Research Executive Agency (REA) | Droughts and water scarcity are an increasing concern in Europe, with around 20% of the European territory and 30% of the total population already affected by water stress. The anthropogenic alteration of the water cycle poses risks for energy production, food security, human health, economic development, and poverty reduction.
ongoing
Framework Partnership Agreement concerning the European Topic Centre on Biodiversity and Ecosystems 2023-2026
European Environment Agency (EEA) | European Topic Centres (ETCs) are consortia of organisations in EEA member countries with expertise in specific environmental areas, contracted by the EEA through framework partnership agreements to carry out specific tasks to support the implementation of EEA and Copernicus work programmes.
ongoing
Conceptual design and content support for the BMUV Agricultural Congresses 2024-2026
German Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (BfN), Germany | The BMUV Agricultural Congress has been held annually since 2017 in the run-up to the International Green Week in mid-January. Within the framework of the congress, the BMUV has put various politically topical priority issues up for discussion in recent years. The wide range of participants is made up of scientists, (agricultural) practitioners, professional representatives, politicians and civil society. The congress is also planned for the next three years.
ongoing
Assessment of European retailers’ 2025 purchasing and certification practices for berries from the Doñana region
WWF Switzerland | Doñana is one of the world’s most important nature conservation areas and a vital site for millions of migratory birds. Since WWF began its engagement in the 1960s, the region has faced increasing ecological deterioration, largely due to water overabstraction. Berry farming, in particular, continues to strain the local ecosystem. Despite over a decade of WWF efforts promoting responsible farming, a 2024 review shows that over 16% of berries are still grown on illegally used and/or irrigated land. This finding is supported by official documents from the regional government. While certification standards exist, many still fail to meet legal requirements specific to Doñana. As a result, compliance and due diligence often fall back on retailers. WWF is working to scale up on-the-ground efforts for more resilient and responsible supply chains. The current assessment focuses on the 2024–2025 berry supply campaign and evaluates European corporate engagement. Key topics include legal land and water use, improved certification, and local water stewardship initiatives.
ongoing
Support for the implementation of the Nitrates Directive
Milieu | Under this service contract, scientific and technical advice on issues linked to the Nitrates Directive (Directive 91/676/EEC) and nutrient management are provided. DG Environment is supported on technical and scientific aspects of nutrients use and management and the Commission assisted in its obligation to enforce the Nitrates Directive. FT's responsibility is scientific support for the implementation of the Nitrates Directive and the achievement of integrated nutrient management through: 1. the evaluation of the related Hungarian National Nitrate Action Plan, 2. updating the related content of NAPINFO 3. and analysis of Nitrates Action Programmes and changes therein since 2020.
ongoing
Resilience Strategies for Regions (REGILIENCE)
CINEA | REGILIENCE is the Coordination and Support Action for developing Innovation Packages and regional resilience pathways under the LC-GD-1-3-2020 call. It aims to foster the adoption and broad dissemination of regional climate resilience pathways, following a demand-driven approach and taking into account the expertise and knowledge acquired, as well as the solutions available from Innovation Packages and other sources.
ongoing
Supporting an exchange of water and agriculture replenishment projects in Spain – Step 1
WWF Spain | Over the past decade, Coca-Cola Spain has supported several water replenishment projects in Spain, including in water-scarce regions such as the Guadiana, Murcia, Valencia and Guadalquivir regions, as well as the Canary Islands. These projects address water saving, fertiliser saving, biodiversity and other related topics. The step 1 workshop aims to identify commonalities across the projects and define next steps to expand the use of good practice and common standards and approaches across the project portfolio.
ongoing
Support for the development of a strategy for pre-competitive cooperation with the food distribution industry
WWF Spain | Fresh Thoughts assesses pre-competitive cooperations with the food distribution industry, analysing their pros and cons and proposes different options for a strategy which would address the needs of WWF Spain, including considerations such as roles, financing and actions to be implemented, such as collective water stewardship.
ongoing
Climate Change policy update
German Environment Agency (UBA), Germany | The project aims to provide concrete policy recommendations on the content of legal instruments at the federal and state levels in Germany. These policy recommendations should enable legislators to mainstream climate change adaptation into further appropriate legal instruments.
ongoing
Independent Review of Water Projects
Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) | In an effort to reduce their water footprint, food & drink companies in the UK came together to join the water roadmap, which aims to establish 20 water stewardship projects by 2030 with at-risk catchments identified as being key sourcing areas for UK food & drink.
ongoing
Risk-based practice- and market-oriented action plan to exclude illegal water use in agricultural supply chains of a German food retailer
WWF Germany | The objective of this project was to create an action plan for a German food retailer, containing practical and market-oriented mitigation measures in a roadmap, including a timeline that encompasses short, mid, and long-term actions.
ongoing
Independent Review of Water Sourcing and Saving in Fruit and Vegetable Production
Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) | In an effort to reduce their water footprint, food & drink companies in the UK came together to join the water roadmap, which aims to establish 20 water stewardship projects by 2030 with at-risk catchments identified as being key sourcing areas for UK food & drink. The aim of this project was to better understand and reduce! the negative impacts of freshwater abstraction and use for the UK food & drink companies on the ecosystems and people in areas where the water is sourced.
ongoing
Dialogue on Water and Agriculture
German Environment Agency (UBA), Germany | Climate change is altering the water balance in rural areas (UBA, 2019d). The consequences of climate change and a decreasing water supply, especially in the summer months, will particularly affect agriculture and forestry.
ongoing
Conformity checking on Member States’ measures to transpose and apply EU environmental legislation: compliance assurance systems in relation to the Directive 2000/60/EC
European Commission, DG Environment | Fresh Thoughts provided technical support to the assessment, including quality assurance of each Member State's assessment.
ongoing
Independent Review of Water Projects
Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) | In an effort to reduce their water footprint, food and drink companies in the UK came together to join the water roadmap, which aims to establish 20 water stewardship projects by 2030 with at-risk catchments identified as being key sourcing areas for UK food and drink.
finished
Water Strategy Germany
German Environment Agency (UBA), Germany | Modern water management focuses on sustainable and balanced water use by all stakeholders. To achieve this today - and in the future - various legal as well as socio-economic frameworks need to be taken into account. The overall aim of this project was to initiate a target-oriented national dialogue at an early stage among various actors.
finished
Water Stewardship in Spain
Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) | The Courtauld Commitment on water set a target that 50% of fresh food in the UK should be sourced from areas with sustainable water management by 2030.
finished
European Topic Centre on Climate Change impacts, vulnerability and Adaptation (2019-2021)
European Environment Agency (EEA) | The European Topic Centre on Climate Change impacts, vulnerability and Adaptation (ETC/CCA) is a Consortium of European Organizations contracted by the European Environment Agency (EEA) to carry out specific tasks - as identified in the ETC/CCA annual Action Plan (AP) - coherently with the EEA five-year strategy and Multiannual Work Programme and specific EEA Single Programming Documents in the area of climate change impacts, vulnerability and adaptation (CCIVA) across Europe.
finished
Support of the European Innovation Partnership on Water
European Commission, DG Environment | The European Innovation Partnership on Water (EIP Water) was an initiative within the EU 2020 Innovation Union. The EIP Water facilitated the development of innovative solutions to address major European and global water challenges.
finished
Linking environmental planning tools with funding mechanisms
European Commission, DG Environment | The post-2020 Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) proposal foresees greater subsidiarity. Member States (MS) have flexibility in the choice of environmental interventions to adapt them to their local needs.
finished
Central project evaluation of the project Sustainable management of biodiversity in the Southern Caucasus
German Development Agency (GIZ), Germany | Fresh Thoughts carried out the central evaluation of the project “Sustainable management of biodiversity in the Southern Caucasus” following OECD-DAC criteria.
finished
Support to the India-EU Water Partnership
German Development Agency (GIZ), Germany | Provision of technical expertise for the actions “Development and implementation support to the India-EU Water Partnership (IEWP)” and “Support to Ganga Rejuvenation (SGR)" co-financed by the EU / BMZ.
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Sustainable Integrated Management FOR the NEXUS of water-land-food-energy-climate for a resource-efficient Europe (SIM4NEXUS)
Executive Agency for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (EASME) | Water, land, food, energy, and climate are interconnected, comprising a coherent system (the ‘Nexus’), dominated by complexity and feedback. Putting pressure on one part of the Nexus can put pressure on the other parts.
ongoing
Conference: Water Management and Agriculture 2.0
Sachverständigen-Kuratorium (SVK) | This conference was organised to deepen some aspects of the BMU's national water dialogue. The 2019 conference brought together water managers, farmers and agricultural experts to find answers to pressing issues in the interaction between agriculture and water management. The outcomes fed into the national water dialogue process and promoted an understanding of the respective language.
finished
Significant Pressures from diffuse pollution in BG
Worldbank | On the 28th of June 2018, The World Bank (WB) and the Ministry of Environment and Water (MoEW) agreed to a Reimbursable Advisory Service (RAS) contract to deliver an Advisory Program.
finished
Floods Directive and Water Framework Directive Compliance check
European Commission, DG Environment | The contract provided technical assistance to the Commission in assessing the implementation of the Water Framework Directive (WFD) and the Floods Directive (FD) by the 28 EU Member States.
finished
European Topic Centre on Climate change impacts, vulnerability and adaptation 2014-2018
European Environment Agency (EEA) | The European Topic Centre on Climate Change impacts, vulnerability and Adaptation (ETC/CCA) was a Consortium of European Organizations commissioned by the European Environment Agency (EEA) to carry out specific tasks - as defined in the ETC/CCA Annual Action Plan (AP) - in line with the EEA five-year strategy, the Multiannual Work Programme and the specific EEA Annual Work Programme in the field of climate change impacts, vulnerability and adaptation (CCIVA) across Europe.
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Assessment CAP 2020+
European Commission, DG Environment | On 1 June 2018, the Commission presented a single legal proposal for the future CAP: “Proposal for a REGULATION OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL establishing rules on support for strategic plans to be drawn up by Member States under the Common agricultural policy (CAP Strategic Plans) and financed by the European Agricultural Guarantee Fund (EAGF) and by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) and repealing Regulation (EU) No 1305/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council and Regulation (EU) No 1307/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council.
finished
WWF Report on Irrigation Modernization
WWF Spain | In 2014, WWF Spain published a report highlighting problems in ensuring water savings in agriculture contribute to sustainable water quantity management at the water body or basin levels.
finished
Mid-term review of GIZ
German Development Agency (GIZ), Germany | In 2013, EDEKA, SAB Miller and GIZ started a strategic alliance (STA) with the aim of supporting water stewardship initiatives in several countries (Egypt, Columbia, Honduras), which is allocated at develoPPP within GIZ.
finished
Streamlining water into Rural development Programmes
European Commission, DG Environment | The revision of the Common Agricultural Policy, which started with the Commission's Communication on "The CAP towards 2020" in November 2010, was finalised with the publication of the corresponding regulations in December 2013.
finished
Support to a Workshop on River Basin Management and Rural development Programmes in Andalusia (Spain)
WWF Spain | Fresh Thoughts facilitated a workshop for WWF Spain to identify options on how the Andalusian Rural Development measures (EARDF) can best contribute to the objectives of the Spanish River Basin Management Plans under the Water Framework Directive.
finished
Climate proofing of EU policies
European Commission, DG Climate Action | This study assessed the most significant threats and challenges of climate change to the EU, focussing on policy areas of particular relevance for the EU budget and investigating where no or little action had been taken so far.
finished
EU Water pricing for agriculture
European Commission, DG Climate Action | The focus of this study was to provide a general overview of the use of water pricing and water allocation policies in Europe.
finished
Agriculture in the Baltic Sea
Federation of Swedish Farmers, Sweden | Fresh Thoughts supported the conference by preparing the Panel discussion.