Suchergebnisse

The 2016 European Semester will soon begin with the adoption of the Annual Growth Survey (AGS) (expected to be in November 2015). The AGS contains priorities which should be addressed in the National Reform Programmes (NRPs) which are due by the end of April 2016. Subsequently, the Commission will propose a series of Country Specific Recommendations (CSRs) accompanied by an analysis in the form of Commission Staff Working Documents (SWDs) for each Member State. The CSRs will be discussed and subsequently adopted following endorsement by the European Council in June/July. It is intended that this study may feed into the development of the CSRs for 2016. The previous (2015) AGS acknowledged that "employment and growth can be stimulated by shifting the tax burden away from labour towards other types of taxes which are less detrimental to growth, such as recurrent property, environment and consumption taxes". The AGS set out three pillars that it foresaw as underpinning the EU's economic and social policy for 2015:  A coordinated response to boosting investment;  A renewed commitment to structural reforms; and  The pursuit of fiscal responsibility. Environmental taxes (together with consumption and recurrent property taxes) are considered less detrimental to growth than other taxes such as on labour or corporate income and are increasingly promoted in the context of economic recovery and growth-friendly fiscal consolidation. The references to more growth friendly tax systems, and the expressed desire to promote more efficient use of both energy and other resources, point towards a role for environmental fiscal reform (EFR) as a means to set the European economy on a trajectory of growth with a strong shade of green.

Among the biggest global challenges for policymakers is the development of land use policies robust to climate change impacts. While diverse fields can inform adaptation, integrated social-ecological assessment of the multiple adaptation options are rare and cannot be easily applied. Here, we build on past studies by undertaking an integrated fine scale and strategic allocation of sea level rise (SLR) adaptation options that can direct policy making. We use models of probabilistic SLR inundation, urban growth, and sub- and intertidal ecosystem migration, to investigate the impacts of different SLR adaptation strategies, and how these can be allocated to best achieve both development and conservation goals. Coastal adaptation will involve trade-offs among development and conservation objectives and these will vary based on the extent to which sea levels rise. There will be trade-offs between conservation objectives regardless of the adaptation options chosen, however, retreat does provide opportunities for enabling the expansion of coastal ecosystems inland. Local governments can save billions of dollars and minimize political conflict between conservation and development goals through integrated strategic spatial planning. Our planning approach both informs policy and is transferable to other coastal regions faced with a rising sea.