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EU Code of Conduct for the sustainability of telecommunications networks
Get PDFThis EU Code of Conduct (CoC) for the sustainability of telecommunications networks is a deliverable under the European Commission’s 2022 Digitalising the Energy System Action Plan. In line with the Action Plan and other EU policies, environmental sustainability of telecommunications networks should contribute to achieving the EU’s climate targets. Stakeholders can assess environmental sustainability impacts during the design, manufacturing, deployment, operation, maintenance, audit and decommissioning phases. These assessments should follow the best practices based on standards, as set out in this EU CoC, with a particular focus on the operation phase.
After exploring the possibility to develop common indicators for measuring the environmental footprint, as required under the 2022 Action Plan (EC JRC 2023b), eight indicators were selected for this EU CoC to cover energy, climate, and other environmental aspects of sustainability most relevant in the context of telecommunications networks.
A set of expected and optional practices are defined, both at the level of the entire network infrastructure and for specific network segments, to the extent possible.
Each practice is based on a standard or set of complementary standards, which focus notably on the definition of organisational rules and processes as well as technical specifications for the collection, analysis and reporting of environmental sustainability data.
The expected practices laid out in this EU CoC could feed into the development of technical screening criteria to assess a substantial contribution of telecommunications networks to climate change mitigation under the EU Taxonomy Regulation.
The scope of this EU CoC addresses electronic communications networks in the sense of Art. 2(1) Directive (EU) 2018/1972 (the European Electronic Communications Code) for the provision of electronic communications services. Focused on the most relevant aspects for the environmental sustainability of telecommunications networks (based on EC JRC 2023b), this EU CoC does not address aspects of biodiversity, water-use, pollution, land-use, working conditions, communities’ economic, social and cultural rights, social inclusion of consumers and business conduct, as covered by the broader and horizontal European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS) (EC 2023a).
Regarding the different phases of the network infrastructure lifecycle, i.e. design, manufacturing, deployment, operation, maintenance, audit and decommissioning (e.g., the process of removing the equipment from service), this EU CoC is especially focused on the operation phase, where standards are most mature, while however also identifying potentially relevant practices for the other phases (e.g., for circular economy aspects like e-waste). As standards for these practices mature, the currently optional practices may become expected under future iterations of this EU CoC.
Acknowledging the difficulties of comparing network infrastructures with each other, which would require accounting for factors such as geographical topology, population density, and network license requirements, this EU CoC is focused on measuring improvements of any network infrastructure over time, providing a common methodology across the EU.JRC.E.2 - Space, Connectivity and Economic Securit
Reassessing the solid/liquid phase transitions of U1-y-zPuyAmzO2±x mixed oxides
No full textFor safety reasons, it is crucial to understand the melting behavior of U1 y zPuyAmzO2±x (0.2 ≤ y ≤ 0.4 and 0 ≤ z ≤ 0.06) mixed oxide fuels for Sodium Fast Reactors. In this study, melting temperature measurements were conducted on seven U1 y zPuyAmzO2±x samples (with 0.235 ≤ y ≤ 0.44 and 0.005 ≤ z ≤ 0.02) using a laser heating technique. Thanks to the addition of oxygen gauges to the setup, the variation of the oxygen partial pressure inside the chamber during the experiment, and thus the O/M ratio (M = U+Pu+Am), was recorded for U1 y zPuyAmzO2±x for the first time. This study discusses the influence of the Pu and Am content, as well as the O/M ratio on the melting behavior of U1 y zPuyAmzO2±x. A decrease in the solidus temperature was observed with increasing Pu content, whereas no significant influence of the Am content on the solidus temperature was noted. Regarding the influence of the O/M ratio, the hypotheses used to calculate its variation are discussed. It was demonstrated that only the molten pool reacted with the surrounding atmosphere. Two distinct melting behaviors were observed depending on the initial O/M ratio of the fuels. For initially hypo-stoichiometric fuels, oxidation of the samples was observed during melting, as demonstrated by thermodynamic calculations. On the contrary, for initially stoichiometric or slightly hyper-stoichiometric fuels, reduction was occurred during the melting.JRC.G.I.5 - Nuclear Science and Innovation for Energy and Healt
Method for the integration of the support to ESPR impact assessments within the evaluation process of products, including international trade aspects and impact of measures on third countries.
Get PDFThe Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR), effective from July 2024, broadens Ecodesign policies to cover a wider range of products, promoting sustainability throughout their life cycle. This report presents a methodology to integrate ESPR impact assessment requirements into the preparatory study phase, streamlining policy development.
Building on the existing MEErP framework and aligned with the Better Regulation Toolbox, the approach provides structured guidance on environmental, economic, and social impact assessments. It focuses on data collection, stakeholder engagement, and international trade considerations to ensure a smooth transition between preparatory studies and impact assessments. This alignment reduces duplication, optimises resources, and improves regulatory coherence.
While preparatory studies assess the technical and economic feasibility of initiatives, impact assessments analyse regulatory proposals’ wider impacts and political aspects, including proportionality and monitoring mechanisms. Traditionally sequential, better coordination between these studies can enhance efficiency and decision-making.
Key areas for improved alignment include coordinated data collection, reusable analytical tools, stakeholder feedback integration, and anticipating impact assessment needs during preparatory studies.
This report offers best practices and recommendations to support ESPR preparatory studies, highlighting how a coordinated approach can reduce duplication, conserve resources, and maintain high scientific and regulatory standards, thereby accelerating ESPR implementation.JRC.F.5 - Food and Feed Complianc
Better Climate Change Adaptation through Transformative Innovation - Enabling Conditions and Future Perspectives
No full textThere is a growing scientific consensus that Climate Change Adaptation (CCA) – the process of adjustment to climate-induced impacts, underway or expected - is not being implemented at the scale, depth and speed needed to avoid dangerous climate-related risks. Moreover, due to the complex impacts of climate change, their strong interrelatedness and profound societal implications, solutions adopted in the past to address them are unlikely to work well in the future. The thesis of an analysis on this subject undertaken for the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC), between December 2022 and April 2024, was that transformative - even radical - adaptation solutions are needed to avoid much worse climate-related damage and higher costs in the future. The key question was: ‘How to harness the potential of the emerging “Transformative Innovation” paradigm to bring about more effective CCA strategies and actions?’ A conceptual framework was developed, which postulates that eight key transformative innovation’ features can act as “enabling conditions” for the design and implementation of CCA strategies with the necessary high transformative ambition. This framework was then deployed at empirical studies engaging representatives from five European territories: the region of Gorenjska (Slovenia); Iceland; the Northern Netherlands; the City of Turku in Southwest Finland; and the region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur (France). The report compares the strengths and weaknesses of the five territories in progressing towards the eight transformative innovation dimensions, discusses the variations in CCA performance, and concludes that so far none of the territories was fully successful in harnessing transformative innovation for CCA. Practical ways forward are suggested for each dimension which may potentially be followed by any territory seeking to move decisively towards genuinely ‘Transformative CCA’.JRC.B.7 - Innovation Policies and Economic Impac
Ecological evaluation of the Key Landscapes for Conservation and Development (KLCDs) in Africa
No full textThis study is a response to a policy request submitted to the EC Knowledge Centre for Biodiversity (KCBD) by the EC Directorate General for International Partnerships (DG INTPA) through the KCBD ticketing system. The EU NaturAfrica initiative is a flagship program designed to tackle biodiversity loss in Africa through a people-centered approach that combines conservation with sustainable job creation. Aligning with the European Green Deal and the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030, the initiative directs support towards crucial ecosystems to foster both environmental protection and human development. This report details a technical assessment conducted to support the prioritization of intervention areas for NaturAfrica’s second phase. Focusing on 45 Key Landscapes for Conservation and Development (KLCDs) across Sub-Saharan Africa, the study provides a spatially explicit characterization of their ecological value. The analysis evaluated these landscapes based on five main dimensions: (1) threatened species richness; (2) species endemicity; (3) the integrity of protected and conserved areas, considering human modification and fragmentation; (4) connectivity between protected and conserved areas; and (5) ecosystem services, specifically regarding carbon and water services. The results reveal high variability across the landscapes, with no single KLCD ranking consistently superior across all metrics. While the Congo Basin forests displayed internal similarities, other regions showed diverse ecological profiles. Consequently, the report recommends avoiding a single aggregate ranking for funding prioritization. Instead, policymakers should select intervention areas based on specific targets — such as species conservation, connectivity, or water security — within each biogeographical region. The findings highlight the importance of interpreting spatial data alongside local stakeholder validation to ensure effective implementation during NaturAfrica’s expansion.JRC.D.6 - Nature Conservation and Observation
A comprehensive well-to-wheel assessment of different sport utility vehicle powertrain-fuel combinations in European countries focusing on climate change indicators.
No full textDecarbonizing road transport is crucial for achieving carbon neutrality. This study presents a comprehensive Well-to-Wheel analysis of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from 26 powertrain-fuel combinations for passenger cars in Europe. The analysis considers both upstream (Well-to-Tank) and tailpipe (Tank-to-Wheel) emissions, using real-world fuel consumption data from similar sport utility vehicles (SUVs) across five powertrains. The results show that battery electric vehicles (BEVs) powered by renewable electricity achieve the lowest GHG emissions, with 97 to almost 100 % savings compared to fossil fuel counterparts. Fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) running on hydrogen from waste wood gasification and diesel internal combustion engine vehicles (DICI) using e-diesel from wind electricity also demonstrate significant emissions reductions. The study highlights the importance of regionalized solutions and a combination of decarbonization options to achieve substantial GHG emissions reductions in road transport. A broader environmental assessment is also considered, encompassing the vehicle's life cycle within the system boundary. The findings provide valuable insights for policymakers and researchers, emphasizing the need for a holistic approach to decarbonize road transport. By considering the complexity of powertrain-fuel combinations and regional energy systems, this study informs the development of effective strategies to mitigate GHG emissions from road transport and support a low-carbon transportation sector.JRC.C.4 - Sustainable, Smart and Safe Mobilit
Field Detection of GNSS Interference Using Smartphones at Jammertest 2025
No full textThis paper presents the evaluation of the CrowdShield app, a smartphone-based solution for detecting Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) interference, tested during Jammertest 2025—a large-scale, controlled event in Norway for assessing resilientnavigation technologies. The app leverages Automatic Gain Control (AGC) measurements provided by the Android GNSS API (Application Programming Interface) from dual-frequency smartphones to identify interference in L1/E1 and L5/E5a bands. A variety of open-sky interference tests were performed during Jammertest, including static, dynamic (motorcade), and airborne scenarios to validate the app performance and detection capabilities in realistic conditions. Static tests near Bleik demonstrated the app’s ability to detect a variety of jamming/meaconing signals, with AGC values showing distinct trends varying with interference power levels. Dynamic motorcade tests, involving driving nearby a test vehicle equipped with low-power jammers, confirmed the app’s sensitivity in mobile environments. Airborne tests, conducted in collaboration with Eurocontrol on a test aircraft, showed that AGC measurements provided additional insights compared to ADS-B Navigation Integrity Category (NIC) values in presence of a jammer located in Andøya airport, underscoring AGC’s potential as a complementary detection tool. The study emphasizes the value and potential of crowdsourced smartphone data for mapping interference spatially and temporally, supporting robust detection strategies that can facilitate interference mitigation. This research demonstrates the viability of mass-market devices to detect vulnerabilities in critical GNSS signals, advancing the use of accessible technology for resilient navigation systems.JRC.E.2 - Space, Connectivity and Economic Securit
A Novel Approach to Regionalize Country-Level GDP Projections
No full textSocioeconomic projections are policy support tools that are often limited to country-level data, making them insufficient for policy areas that require a more nuanced, sub-national perspective. For granular geographical analyses in a multicountry setting, international organizations often rely on straightforward regionalization techniques, such as assuming that the observed regional shares remain constant over the projection period. This approach fails to capture the varying economic performances between regions, making the resulting regional projections unrealistic. In this paper, we propose a novel regionalization method for GDP projections based on (1) changes in population and (2) econometrically estimated factors of regional GDP per capita growth. We test our approach in the EU27 Member States for the period 2000–2019 by downscaling observed GDP from national to regional (NUTS3) level. Results show that our model substantially outperforms alternative regionalization techniques by improving the skill scores up to 18%. The performance of the proposed methodology increases for longer estimation and projection periods. Our regionalization approach shows the benefit of incorporating demographic dynamics and regional growth factors to regionalize national GDP values, especially to downscale long-term GDP projections.JRC.B.3 - Territorial Developmen
International Spectroradiometer Intercomparison 2025
Get PDFThe International Spectroradiometer Intercomparison (ISRC) is a metrological event in the field of solar radiation measurements. The ISRC is managed by the European Solar Test Installation (ESTI) laboratories of the European Commission Joint Research Centre on an annual basis. The 13th edition was held in June 2025 at the Joint Research Centre site of Ispra, Italy.
The event consisted of a week of uninterrupted measurements of the solar radiation by the instruments of different participants, with the ESTI instrumentation acting as reference for the performance evaluation of spectroradiometers and pyranometers. Spectroradiometers were assessed also using the artificial light source of Apollo, a large area steady state solar simulator of ESTI, and a QTH standard lamp on a spectroradiometer calibration bench.
Starting in 2011, the first ISRC focused primarily on photovoltaic research and applications. Over the years, the range of interested participants has gradually expanded, encompassing not only laboratories in the PV field, but also space agencies, national metrological institutes (NMI), university and research groups, manufacturers of measurement equipment operating in the fields of climatology and meteorology.
The physical quantities measured during the campaign were the broadband solar irradiance and the spectrally resolved spectral irradiance (direct and global normal).
The present report summarizes the results of the Intercomparison, divided in different sections: in the first section the broadband irradiance sensors are presented; the second, third and fourth are dedicated to the performance indicators of the spectroradiometers in outdoor conditions using natural sunlight, indoor using the Apollo solar simulator and indoor against the QTH standard lamp; the fifth contains a summary of the prototype instruments present at the Intercomparison.
Prototype instruments were not comparable directly with the reference instruments; their interest in participating at the ISRC was mainly to collect data for further development of the instruments or validation of mathematical models.JRC.C.2 - Energy Efficiency and Renewable
IACS Community Exchange (ICE) conference 2025
Get PDFThe Integrated Administration and Control System (IACS) Community Exchange (ICE) conference is an annual, in-person event that provides a platform for Member States to share best practices and address common challenges related to the implementation of IACS and its quality assessments, which are core elements of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). The conference promotes open dialogue between the European Commission and the Member States, with the aim of exchanging knowledge and identifying technical solutions that accommodate requests for simplification and reduction of administrative burden for national and regional administrations and farmers, while ensuring compliance with all regulatory requirements.
The 2nd IACS Community Exchange (ICE) Conference was held in Reims, France, from 9 to 11 September 2025. It was organised by DG JRC in cooperation with DG AGRI and the French paying agency Agence de services et de paiement (ASP). The conference brought together around 400 participants representing all Member States and five candidate countries, as well as the European Commission (DG JRC, DG AGRI and DG DEFIS), the European Space Agency (ESA) and the European Environment Agency (EEA). Representatives from more than 20 private companies and research organisations also attended. This ensured the involvement of all stakeholders in the implementation of IACS, connecting technological innovations with operational applications in agricultural monitoring.
Based on the insights provided by more than 60 presentations, the participants engaged in fruitful open discussions during the main sessions and in the extended networking moments where the exchange of ideas continued. The 11 sessions of the conference covered all the main IACS technical aspects, particularly the Area Monitoring System (AMS) and the Land Parcel Information System (LPIS). The main topics discussed included a summary of results of the first two years of the new CAP, the potential synergies with other European Union (EU) and national policies through the sharing and reuse of IACS data, AI-driven LPIS innovations, new Earth Observation (EO)-based agricultural monitoring solutions, study cases of AMS implementation presented by the Member States with additional input from research, and the challenges faced by EU candidate countries in setting up their IACS.
The first part of this document summarises the key topics presented in each session, outlining emerging solutions and reporting on the ideas debated during the open discussions. The second part contains the abstracts of all the presentations shared by their authors. The document's primary purpose is to inform those unable to attend the conference and to provide interested parties with a reference document containing the main outcomes. Both the ICE conference and this report are the joint endeavour of the IACS community of practice, promoted and coordinated by the JRC.JRC.D.5 - Food Securit