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Beyond GDP and life expectancy: welfare comparisons across the Atlantic
Full text linkPrior studies assessing welfare across countries have utilised measures that combine country-level outcomes in income and life expectancy (or average lifespan). However, this perspective remains blind to the fact that two countries may have the same life expectancy and/or average income but very different underlying distributions. In this paper, I introduce a new preference-based measure of social welfare that is sensitive to within-country disparities in lifespan and income. To illustrate the measure, I compare welfare levels and trends for the EU and US using different sets of preference parameters. I also test the effects of correlated outcomes using a copula-based approach. The results reveal that welfare levels and trends are highly sensitive to several normative assumptions, particularly the degree of inequality aversion. Moreover, I find that there is a close connection between the degree of inequality aversion and the assumed level of rank-order correlation between income and lifespan. Overall, the results highlight the need for broader measures of welfare that are explicit about the different value judgements.JRC.B.1 - Economic and Financial Resilienc
Risk assessment for the 2026 In-Service Verification (ISV) of CO2 emissions of Light-Duty Vehicles
Full text linkArticle 13 of Regulation (EU) 2019/631 requires the Member State (MS) Granting Type-Approval Au-thorities (GTAA) to verify the CO₂ emission and fuel consumption values of in-service Light-Duty Ve-hicles (LDV). Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2023/2867 establishes the guiding principles and criteria for defining the verification procedures, while Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/2866 sets out the detailed procedures to be applied.
Article 3(4) of the Implementing Regulation requires the Commission to develop a methodology for assessing the risk that In-Service Verification (ISV) families may include vehicles with deviations in their CO₂ emission values. It also mandates the publication of an annual report describing this meth-odology and identifying those families with the highest risk. The Joint Research Centre (JRC) has been tasked with performing this risk assessment on behalf of the Commission. The GTAAs must use the Commission’s assessment as the basis for selecting the families to be subject to in-service verification.
This is the third annual report presenting the risk assessment methodology and its main results. The methodology builds on the approach established in the 2024 report and further developed in the 2025 report, applying the concept of the Composite Risk Index (CRI). The CRI combines the probabil-ity and severity of a potential deviation. Probability levels are derived from the total number of new vehicles from each ISV family placed on the Union market. Severity levels are determined using data collected under Article 14 of Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/392. In addition, results from the Commission’s market surveillance test campaigns, in-service conformity tests pursuant to Regulation (EU) 2017/1151, and the real-world data defined in Article 2(c) of Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/392 are included in this year’s assessment.
This report identifies the ISV families with the highest risk of including vehicles with a deviation in CO2 emissions values. Based on the risk assessment, 491 unique interpolation families (correspond-ing to 341 unique ISV families) have been identified. Additionally, some interpolation families report-ed as part of the annual CO2 monitoring for light-duty vehicles could not be found amongst those re-ported to the Commission under Article 14 of Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/392. As a result, 45 of those missing interpolation families have been selected and included in the list of families with the highest risk for the 2026 In-Service Verification. In addition, for those manufacturers that do not have any ISV family identified using the method described earlier and to ensure that at least one ISV family per manufacturer will be selected, the final list of families includes also 14 interpolation fami-lies based on medium risk or the highest registration volumes.
In total, the 2026 ISV report identifies 550 unique interpolation families. To further support the vehi-cle and test selection for the 2026 In-Service Verification, each of the listed ISV families is marked for specific types of tests based on this risk assessment.JRC.C.4 - Sustainable, Smart and Safe Mobilit
Citizen Participation in Public Spaces
Full text linkPublic spaces are fundamental to democracy, societal resilience and public life, yet their importance is under-appreciated in relevant policies.
‣ Public spaces enable freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and support social connection, facilitating citizen participation in democracy, but they are facing important challenges.
‣ Making democracies more resilient requires institutions to listen to citizens, including those who are formally invited to participate and those who are not invited, yet continue to shape public
spaces through their everyday activities, activism, and community organising.
‣ While public spaces are not a magic bullet, they are an important piece of the puzzle to strengthen democratic and societal resilience from the ground up, by empowering citizens to
participate in public life on their own terms.JRC.S.2 - Science for Democracy, Public Governance and Administratio
Blue Mirror Monthly Chronicle - January 2026 - Vol. 2 Issue 1
No full textBlue Mirror marks the launch of a One Water - One Health Monthly Chronicle dedicated to advancing wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) as a vital instrument for public health intelligence. Building on the EU Wastewater for Public Health bulletin - now integrated as a dedicated section within Blue Mirror - it delivers timely, rigorous, and policy-relevant insights on pathogens and health trends at both European and global levels, to strengthen preparedness and guide decision-making. Blue Mirror establishes a platform rooted in scientific rigor and international cooperation, uniting science, art, policy, and lived experience, supporting strategies that enhance resilience and protect societal well-being.JRC.D.2 - Ocean and Wate
Community engagement and screening of 447 pesticides in the Gellibrand River catchment, Victoria, Australia
No full textThe study presents a comprehensive water quality data collection along the Gellibrand River catchment, over three monitoring campaigns conducted in 2024, to investigate pesticides occurrence. Citizen scientists, guided by the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) University and the European Commission Joint Research Centre (JRC), deployed and retrieved passive samplers (n = 10), collected grab composite samples (n = 10) and conducted Stir Bar Sorptive Extraction (SBSE) of the latter, while Solid Phase Extraction (SPE) of all the other samplers was performed by a PhD student. All samples were screened by Gas Chromatography Quadruple Time of Flight High Resolution Mass Spectrometry (GC-QToF-HRMS) for 447 pesticides. Passive samplers provided qualitative information on the presence/absence of pesticides, while grab composite samples provided quantitative information in form of pesticides concentrations. Concentrations were used to calculate Toxic Units (TU) to assess potential ecological risks for crustaceans Daphnia magna. A total of 18 different pesticides were detected in the first campaign, followed by 8 in the second, and 15 in the third campaign. The two different extraction methods deployed, SPE and SBSE, revealed different compounds. Across the campaigns, fungicides emerged as the most frequently detected class, although most screened chemicals were insecticides. Temporal and spatial analyses highlighted significant variability in pesticide presence, influenced by factors like weather conditions and surrounding land use, in particular, forestry. The study’s ecological risk assessment identified potential toxicity risks to Daphnia magna from specific insecticides, such as carbaryl. The study successfully combined advanced sampling and extraction technologies with citizens participation, finding pesticides that are registered for and applied in surrounding forestry activities, providing valuable new insights regarding pesticides occurrence in Australia. Citizen scientists have been enthusiastically engaged in the collection, deployment, retrieval and extraction of samples. They contributed to communication and sharing of the results with the broader community, thus confirming the potential of citizen science to expand water quality monitoring capacity.JRC.D.2 - Ocean and Wate
Modeling water resilience in Europe: Climate impacts on the Water-Energy-Food-Ecosystem nexus and agriculture
No full textClimate change is altering water stress patterns in Europe, with the Mediterranean facing increased demand-supply gaps and reliance on alternative water sources and (non-renewable) groundwater. Stress factors are changing, impacting crop yields differently. The European Union is facing significant challenges in ensuring water resilience, particularly in the agricultural sector, which is a major consumer of water. This report provides a detailed and comprehensive overview of the findings and implications of the GoNEXUS modelling efforts, contributing to informed decision-making and policy development in the Water-Energy-Food-Ecosystem (WEFE) nexus. Our analysis highlights the need for tailored water-saving measures and climate-resilient practices. The study uses a comprehensive suite of models, including the LISFLOOD-EPIC water resource and crop model, to simulate the effects of different climate and policy scenarios on the WEFE nexus. The results provide valuable insights into the benefits and trade-offs of various policy solutions and interventions, and offer a framework for assessing the impacts of climate change on water resources and agricultural productivity. This will help policymakers develop effective solutions for European agriculture, promoting sustainable water management and addressing the complex interlinkages between water, energy, and food. By adopting a NEXUS approach, the EU can mitigate the impacts of climate change and ensure a resilient and sustainable food system.JRC.D.2 - Ocean and Wate
Mapping the transition of the EU ceramic 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
Sample preparation now (2025) and then: Lessons from 13 years of nanomaterial regulatory safety testing
No full textThe Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has adapted or newly developed selected OECD test guidelines (TGs) and guidance documents (GDs) to address regulatory testing of nanomaterials. The “Guidance on Sample Preparation and Dosimetry for the Safety Testing of Manufactured Nanomaterials” (GSPD) is a cornerstone document in this context. It presents the general approach to sample preparation, whereas TGs and GDs often include information for the specific test. The GSPD addresses sample preparation of nanomaterials for testing physical and chemical properties, mammalian and environmental toxicity, and environmental fate. The third edition of the GSPD, published in 2025, integrates the substantial progress over the last decade in addressing issues related to sample preparation and dosimetry, i.e. the lessons learnt. The GSPD captures the progress in sample preparation protocols, noting that an overarching protocol is not available, and the deeper understanding of dosimetry and effective dose. Dose estimation is now underpinned by in silico tools. Across testing, medium composition is a key determinant of nanomaterial behaviour and should be systematically addressed. The sample preparation for physical and chemical properties includes one new endpoint, hydrophobicity. The GSPD reflects the growing consensus on the key practical issues for preparing nanomaterial samples in media for environmental studies. The information on sample preparation for in vitro testing is completely new, and the information on mammalian toxicity sample preparation reflects the leap in knowledge. The glossary has been significantly expanded. This paper provides an overview of the new elements in the updated GSPD.JRC.F.2 - Technologies for Healt
Method for the definition of mandatory Green Public Procurement requirements
Full text linkThe Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR), which aims to improve the environmental sustainability and circularity of products in the European market, entered into force on 18 July 2024. This report outlines the methodology for defining minimum mandatory Green Public Procurement (GPP) requirements under the ESPR. The ESPR framework sets performance and information requirements through product-specific Delegated Acts, using a scientific approach and considering relevant technical information.
A key feature of the ESPR is the possibility to set minimum mandatory GPP requirements for the purchase of products covered by delegated acts or for works or services where those products are used. These requirements are established through implementing acts in the form of Technical Specifications (TS), Award Criteria (AC), Contract Performance Conditions (CPC), or targets. The methodology developed in this report provides a structured approach to determine the advisability of GPP requirements, analyse their feasibility, assess their expected market impacts, and define the specific types of requirements.JRC.B.5 - Circular Economy and Sustainable Industr
Strengthening the competitiveness of EU in vitro biotechnologies
No full textThe EU has been a leader in research and development of in vitro biotechnology (IVB), such as human 3D cell and tissue models used in disease research and drug development. However, it is struggling to convert scientific discoveries into business creation and competitiveness within a rapidly growing international market.JRC.F.3 - Systems Toxicolog