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The Grey Shades of Green Jobs: Unpacking the Occupational Approach to Green Employment
No full textThe green transition is expected to reshape labor markets, yet measuring its employment impact remains uncertain. This paper provides a detailed discussion of the occupational approach (derived from task-based measures) for estimating green employment, the most widespread framework among academics and institutions. First, we highlight the theoretical flaws of the occupational approach, noting that its reliance on occupational titles leads to false positives and excludes essential contributors to the green transition, resulting in false negatives. Second, we discuss the methodological problems of this approach, including inconsistent categorisations, outdated classifications, and the assumption that the content of occupations remains constant across time and countries. Third, we operationalise the occupational approach to measure green employment (using the O*NET framework), quantifying green employment in 24 European countries between 2011-2022. The analysis shows that, according to this approach, virtually no new green jobs were created in Europe in this period. Furthermore, we find no correlation between the presence of green jobs and several aggregate and sectoral environmental indicators. These findings reflect the theoretical and methodological flaws in the occupational approach, undermining its effectiveness in capturing the labour market impact of the green transition. Alternative measures of green employment focused on green economic outputs and processes should be considered.JRC.B.6 - Industrial strategy, skills and technology transfe
Mapping the transition of the EU cement industry to carbon neutrality
Full text linkThis factsheet provides an overview of sectoral emission sources, emissions breakdowns, decarbonisation trajectories, and estimated technology-specific CO₂ abatement costs. It further examines the evolution of decarbonisation technology maturity (from research and innovation to demonstration and deployment) in the timeline from 2025 to 2050 and evaluates the extent to which this evolution aligns with relevant policy targets and objectives.JRC.C.7 - Energy Transition Insights for Polic
Nowcasting economic activity in European regions using a mixed-frequency dynamic factor model
No full textTimely and accurate information about regional economic conditions can be essential for planning, implementing, and evaluating locally targeted economic policies. However, European regional accounts for output are published at an annual frequency with a two-year delay. To obtain robust and more timely measures in a computationally efficient manner, we propose a mixed-frequency dynamic factor model that accounts for national information to produce high-frequency estimates and reliable nowcasts of regional gross value added (GVA) in more than 150 regions across 13 European countries.JRC.B.1 - Economic and Financial Resilienc
Camelina oil for sustainable aviation fuel production: A scenario assessment for recovering European degraded soils
No full textThe European aviation sector is currently under pressure to rapidly integrate renewable energy sources, with a particular emphasis on sustainable aviation fuels (SAF), which are essential for achieving short-term decarbonization targets. This study proposes an innovative supply chain producing SAF according to the REFuelEU Aviation's progressive targets for 2050, the international ICAO-CORSIA mandates and the European Union's Renewable Energy Directive for greening the transport sector.
The study focuses on camelina (Camelina sativa L. Crantz) grown in Southern European regions on marginal land affected by severe soil degradation. In this case, according to the most recent policy requirements, “severely degraded lands” suitable for advanced biofuels production are currently defined as those under erosion with poor soil organic matter content or with high salinity. Unlike other common oilseeds, camelina can successfully grow in degraded and eroded soils making it particularly well-suited to produce low indirect land-use change (iLUC) risk feedstocks for SAF. The challenges of achieving profitable yields under marginal conditions are examined and discussed.
The results show a potential of 116 thousand km2 of available lands that can produce 3.2 Mtoe per year of SAF, corresponding to 175 % of bio-SAF mandates in 2030. The calculated carbon intensity of SAF ranges between 10.5 and −30.8 gCO2eq MJ−1 depending on the carbon accumulation performances achieved in the cultivated soil and green energy used in the supply chain. By combining economics and greenhouse gas emission savings, the study explores the current gaps between conventional and innovative SAF production.JRC.C.2 - Energy Efficiency and Renewable
Second interim report for design and behavioural research study to create evidence-based, EU harmonised consumer waste sorting labels
Full text linkThis second interim report presents results from an experimental study supporting the development of evidence-based EU harmonised waste sorting labels for packaging and receptacles. The work was conducted as part of a project led by the Joint Research Centre developing a second prototype of harmonised waste sorting labels as part of the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation. This report presents findings from a large-scale behavioural experiment with 11 096 participants across eleven Member States.
Evidence shows that Prototype 2 significantly increases sorting accuracy for mono-component packaging and residual waste items. Overall, 42.6 % of items were sorted correctly with Prototype 2, compared to 32.7 % without. The effect is statistically significant for mono-component and residual waste packaging, while no improvement is observed for dual- or triple-component packaging. Participants also found the system easier to use, more motivating, and more convenient than national labels.
Most participants correctly explained the logic of Prototype 2, primarily relying on colour matching, followed by icons, material recognition, and label reading. QR codes were viewed ambivalently: 44 % saw them as containing essential information for proper sorting, while 33 % perceived them as optional. For multi-component packaging (e.g. a medicine bottle in a cardboard box), 43 % preferred labels placed directly on each component, and 38 % preferred a pictogram indicating which component corresponds to which material.
The survey component also assessed pictograms for specific materials. Common materials (paper, cardboard, glass, metal) were widely recognised without prior instruction. Lower recognition for cork, flexible plastic, and compostables indicates the need for more distinctive icons. Participants favoured full-colour designs and clear component-based indications for multi-component items, while black-and-white or text-free versions were considered harder to use.
Based on the behavioural evidence, the report recommends building on the strengths of Prototype 2, notably its colour coding, intuitive pictograms, and material-matching logic, while addressing areas of misunderstanding. Improvements include refining pictograms for cork, flexible plastic, beverage cartons, composite packaging, and mixed canister packaging, which generated confusion. The distinction between home and industrial compostable packaging should be clarified through more distinct iconography and wording. The experiment also confirmed the importance of colour coding. QR codes should remain optional, as many participants did not use them or were unsure of their purpose, underscoring that all essential information must be communicated directly on the label. Finally, on-label text should remain minimal, especially for multi-component packaging.JRC.S.1 - EU Policy Lab: Foresight, Design & Behavioural Insight
The LYRA-10 Experiment: Irradiation of Light Water Reactor Pressure Vessel Steels with Systematic Variations in Ni, Mn, and Si Contents to Assess Long-Term Operation–Enhanced Embrittlement
No full textThe reactor pressure vessel (RPV) is a fundamental and virtually irreplaceable component of nuclear power plants. With the prolongation of the operation of light water reactors (LWRs) beyond their original design life (40 years for western LWRs), assessing the aging of such material has been an important and widespread research and development topic (long-term operation). In the 1990s, a LYRA irradiation rig was developed and made operational at the High Flux Reactor (HFR) in Petten, The Netherlands. The LYRA facility, located at the HFR’s Pool Side Facility (PSF), was been designed to carry out the irradiation programs of the European Aging Materials European Strategy (AMES) Network, with the purpose of studying the irradiation embrittlement of RPV steels. The irradiation rig was comprised of gamma shielding, which occupied both PSF-10 and PSF-11 and the irradiation capsule itself, which was placed in PSF-11. The LYRA capsule was a reloadable capsule. For each new irradiation campaign, a new sample holder was manufactured and placed inside the capsule. The last campaign conducted in the LYRA facility was the joint Joint JRC-NRG irradiation campaign LYRA- 10. It was started in 2007 and concluded in 2018. In LYRA-10, more than 600 specimens made of model steels based on typical VVER-1000 RPV steels (both base and weld metal) and western pressurized water reactor RPV steels with systematic variations in Ni and Mn content, and to a smaller extent, Si content, were irradiated to high fluence (approximately 1.1 × 1024 n·m−2, E > 1 MeV) to understand their role and synergetic effects on RPV embrittlement. This paper primarily describes the operational objectives and conditions of LYRA-10, reporting on the fluences and temperatures achieved during the campaign. With the complementary data (fluence and temperature) provided in this paper, post irradiation examination of the irradiated specimens was carried out through the Euratom-funded project STRUMAT-LTO, which ran from 2020 to 2024. LYRA-10 was the last irradiation campaign to use the LYRA facility. After completion of LYRA-10, the LYRA facility was decommissioned because of significant aging after more than 20 years of use.JRC.G.4 - Reactor Safety and Component
Monitoring Radio Frequency Interference Affecting GNSS using Android Smartphones
No full textGlobal Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) are exploited in a wide range of applica-tions and its reliability and accuracy are more critical than ever. The weak GNSS sig-nals are extremely susceptible to intentional or unintentional interference. The Joint Research Centre has explored the potential of leveraging the ubiquitous presence of Android smartphones for interference monitoring. Automatic Gain Control (AGC) measurements provided by the Android GNSS API are used for this purpose. A proof-of-concept including an App to collect the data and a back-end server for the processing has been developed and tested. The proposed approach demonstrates the potential to detect both intentional and unintentional interference. However, the ap-proach has limitations, such as small AGC variations that cannot always be linked to GNSS interference, and significant differences between smartphone models which need to be considered for effective crowdsourcing.JRC.E.2 - Space, Connectivity and Economic Securit
Certification of the mass fraction of cereulide toxin in cooked rice: ERM-BD300
Full text linkERM®-BD300 is a rice reference material produced within the scope of ISO 17034:2016 accreditation. It is certified for the mass fraction of the emetic toxin cereulide.
The material consists of cooked long grain white rice that was cryogenically milled, converted into a watery slurry, spiked with cereulide, freeze-dried, cryogenically milled again and mixed. The certified reference material (CRM) is available in amber glass vials containing at least 6.0 g of rice powder (equivalent to ca. 18.5 g of cooked rice).
The between-unit homogeneity was quantified and stability during transport and storage was assessed in accordance with ISO 33405:2024. The minimum sample size for one measurement is 1 g reconstituted rice.
The material was characterised by an interlaboratory comparison of laboratories of demonstrated competence and adhering to ISO/IEC 17025:2017. All laboratories applied methods in accordance with or similar to ISO 18465:2017 (quantitative cereulide determination using LC-MS/MS). Technically invalid results were removed but no outlier was eliminated unless a technical reason for the deviation was found.
Uncertainties of the certified values include uncertainties related to possible inhomogeneity, instability and characterisation.
The material is intended for the assessment of method performance and for quality control. Its certified value can be used for trueness control.
Before release of the CRM, the certification project was subjected to peer-review involving both JRC-internal experts and the co-author from Sciensano.JRC.F.6 - Reference Material
Transforming Food Systems
Full text linkThis report examines barriers and enablers shaping the transformation of European food systems and synthesises insights from a participatory exploration of potential pathways toward more sustainable, resilient and equitable food systems. It draws on an international multi-stakeholder workshop that combined futures thinking, systems analysis and participatory design to explore how change may unfold across production, consumption, governance and market domains.
The study uses a combination of methods, including scenario building with an adapted Futures Wheel, the identification of barriers and enablers, and stakeholder role mapping through the Berkana Two Loops framework. These approaches were applied to explore desirable future states, identify systemic constraints and opportunities, and clarify how different actors may support or hinder transformation. Two complementary visions were developed: one centred on a rapid protein transition driven by innovation and environmental price signals, and another focused on universal access to healthy, local and nutrient-dense food through educational and community-based measures. Across both visions, the analysis highlights the importance of coherent and stable policy frameworks, strong food literacy and skills, adaptive and reflexive governance, reliable data infrastructures, targeted finance and participatory approaches. Common barriers include cultural attachment to prevailing diets, fragmented governance, uneven economic impacts, investment risk, skills shortages and mis- and disinformation.
The mapping of stakeholder roles shows that transformative change depends on how pioneers, intermediaries, institutional stewards and incumbent actors interact, and on the ability to reduce resistance and build shared ownership. The report also identifies methodological limitations and the need for stronger evidence integration and complementarity with quantitative analysis. Overall, the findings underline the importance of coherent, cross-domain strategies to advance sustainable food system transitions.JRC.D.3 - Sustainable Supply Chains and Bioeconom
Innovative vehicle Technology and Holistic Automotive life Cycle Analysis
No full textThe collection contains data from studies performed by the JRC on the topics of innovative automotive carbon emissions reduction and efficiency improvement technologies and holistic vehicle greenhouse gas emissions analysis (well to wheel and automotive LCA).JRC.C.4 - Sustainable, Smart and Safe Mobilit