Science for Environment Policy (SfEP) is a free news and information service published by the Directorate-General for Environment (DG ENV) of the European Commission. It is designed to help busy policymakers keep up-to-date with the latest environmental research findings needed to design, implement and regulate effective policies.
Our News alert articles and Future Briefs are freely accessible through this site. To access SfEP content published between 2005 and June 2022, please consult the dedicated archive.
News Alerts
The bi-weekly News Alerts are a cornerstone of the SfEP service. Presented in concise and easy-to-understand newsletter articles, SfEP brings the latest updates on key environmental research right into your inbox.
Future Briefs
SfEP also releases regular Future Briefs on the latest environmental topics, such as new technologies and innovations and their impact on the environment. Future Briefs are a series of horizon-scanning policy briefs, which explore the evidence around emerging environmental issues.
News Alerts
A new study has outlined how academia, government, industry, civil society and the environment can come together to tackle the growing challenge of microplastic pollution.
Invasive plants pose a multi-faceted threat in Europe, but deciding which species to eradicate, control or monitor remains a challenge. New work by Italian scientists highlights a potential way forward for decision-makers.
A new analysis of 625 studies from 63 countries shows that the global expansion of built-up areas has fundamentally degraded water quality across the globe and suggests increases in forest cover can help reduce water pollution risks.
The call for proposals will support research and innovation projects to identify, analyse, and understand transformation processes that may halt and reverse biodiversity decline.
Future Briefs
This Brief focusses on the lighting design adaptations and mitigation measures tailored for sensitive habitats and taxa. It also highlights ongoing efforts by local governments and communities to address Artificial Light at Night pollution (ALAN).
This Future Brief presents the current science on nanoplastics: their detection, assessment and monitoring; their impacts in the environment, ecotoxicity, and environmental fate; and their potential impacts on human health.
This brief looks at environmental factors that potentially contribute to the emergence of disease and the effects of COVID-19, and environmental impacts that have arisen from COVID-19.
Contact Us
Science for Environment Policy (SfEP) is a European Commission initiative. The secretariat is currently run by Ecorys.
For comments, questions or requests on this service, please contact us at ENV-SFEP
ec [dot] europa [dot] eu (ENV-SFEP[at]ec[dot]europa[dot]eu).
To get in touch with the researchers, please refer to the Source section indicated under each News Alert article.