38796 research outputs found
Sort by
Competence Centre on Participatory & Deliberative Democracy - Newsletter Edition III (April 2025)
No full textA regular email publication for the Community of Practice on Citizen Engagement & Deliberative Democracy to inform them about the news, events and activities of the new Competence Centre on Participatory and Deliberative Democracy. This edition includes news about the Citizen engagement impact survey as well as training registration.JRC.S.2 - Science for Democracy and Evidence-Informed Policymakin
Explainability can foster trust in artificial intelligence in geoscience
No full textUptake of explainable artificial intelligence (XAI) methods in geoscience is currently limited. We argue that such methods that reveal the decision processes of AI models can foster trust in their results and facilitate the broader adoption of AI.JRC.E.1 - Disaster Risk Managemen
Assessing progress in monitoring and implementing the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030
Get PDFThe aim of this science for policy report is twofold. First, it presents the state of play and the next steps in developing a monitoring framework for the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 (EU BDS). Second, it provides an overview of progress made in implementing the EU BDS to date, as well as an assessment of the likelihood of reaching its targets by 2030. It mobilises various data sources – the official EU BDS and other policy-relevant progress monitoring tools, scientific literature and expert opinions – to provide a state of play of key achievements and remaining gaps in both monitoring and implementing the EU BDS as we approach its mid-term mark. Almost half of the actions are completed; the remaining half are mostly in progress, and a few are delayed. Indicators are published to track progress towards more than 40 % of the EU BDS targets and, with the notable exception of those on the state of biodiversity, the EU is showing progress in the right direction towards most of the evaluated targets; however, the pace of progress needs to accelerate massively to reach the 2030 targets. Further effort and engagement with the scientific community is needed to fill the remaining monitoring gaps, while a better implementation of the environmental policies would be necessary to meet the maximum of targets by 2030.JRC.D.6 - Nature Conservation and Observation
Substitution and reduction of critical and strategic raw materials in clean energy technologies
Get PDFThe transition to clean energy technologies requires increased amounts of critical raw materials. Advanced materials (materials rationally designed to have new or enhanced properties) can potentially reduce dependence on critical raw materials, ideally also providing superior performance, increased lifetime or lower costs. In this report, we investigate the current landscape and potential of advanced materials and technologies focused on reducing or eliminating the use of critical raw materials in five key energy technologies: batteries, wind turbines, solar photovoltaics, fuel cells and electrolysers, and electric-vehicle motors. Our analysis identifies the most effective substitution solutions within each stage of development to fully exploit the innovation potential, and highlights some possible trade-offs involved.JRC.C.7 - Energy Transition Insights for Polic
SME Performance Review 2025
Get PDFThis methodological report explains the data sources and methods used by the Joint Research Centre (JRC) to annually compile the dataset on structural small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) indicators in the annual SME Performance Review, and commissioned by the Directorate General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs (DG GROW). The SME Performance Review is one of the main tools used by the European Commission to monitor and assess countries’ progress in implementing the SME strategy and the Small Business Act (SBA). The dataset produced by the JRC includes nowcasts and forecasts of the three core indicators used to monitor and analyse SME performance in EU Member States, and 14 other countries: number of enterprises, number of persons employed, and value added.JRC.S.3 - Science for Modelling, Monitoring and Evaluatio
An Analysis of Cocoa Market Fundamentals and Price Transmission in the Cocoa Value Chain
Get PDFAfter two decades of substantial stagnation, with consequent complaints from producer countries, the international price of cocoa beans has suddenly started to dramatically rise, attracting interest on this commodity, that is a fundamental source of income for millions of smallholders around the world. The present paper offers a broad analysis of the cocoa sector, divided into two main components: an investigation of the cocoa market fundamentals and an assessment of the price transmission inside the cocoa value chain. Both analyses rely on a Vector Error Correction Model, with yearly data (1961-2022) for the evaluation of market fundamentals and monthly data (January 1996-July 2024) for the price transmission investigation. An analysis of structural breaks is conducted in both cases. While the yearly market analysis, that combines prices and quantities, does not present structural breaks except for the price of cocoa beans, all residuals and predicted cointegrated equations of the price transmission analysis show a structural break.JRC.D.4 - Economics of the Food Syste
Remuneration and attractiveness of EU blue economy sectors
No full textSignificant efforts are devoted in the European Union (EU) to increase the attractiveness of blue economy jobs, address skilled workforce shortages and reduce the skill gap between business requirements and qualifications offered by the education and training systems. This article investigates how the job attractiveness of the different blue economy sectors has changed over time in the EU by analysing the evolution of labour cost per employee measured in full time equivalents (FTE) as a proxy of the remuneration. This is complemented with the analysis of two other factors influencing job attractiveness, namely job security and job safety. Our findings show the existence of substantial labour cost differences for different maritime sectors, which explain distinct job attractiveness patterns between the EU blue economy as a whole and the rest of the economy. In particular, economic activities that employ highly-skilled labour force and generate higher labour productivity provide higher salaries than those employing less skilled workers. However, working in a riskier environment often does not necessarily correlate with a higher remuneration. Outcomes from this analysis help to better understand the reasons behind current labour shortages in some EU blue economy sectors, and provide important insights for designing more targeted investments in key human capital gaps and for calibrating policies to reduce workforce shortages in the EU labour markets.JRC.D.2 - Ocean and Wate
Practical guide for the use of the EU Ecolabel in the green public procurement of graphic paper
Get PDFThe EU Ecolabel and EU GPP (Green Public Producrement) are two European policy instruments that can be used by public procurers in a synergistic manner by matching supply and demand signals to green the market.
Suppliers receive general demand signals for greener products. However, public procurers are often reluctant to state specific green criteria in calls for competition because of uncertainty about what exactly to ask for and the availability of compliant products on the market.
These practical guidelines help procurers to draw up technical specifications and award criteria based on EU Ecolabel criteria in calls for the green public procurement of graphic paper.
Compliance with the recommended EU GPP criteria can be verified simply by products carrying the EU Ecolabel and, in some cases, by products carrying other ISO 14024 type I ecolabels.
Public authorities can also directly request EU Ecolabel graphic paper in their call for competition.JRC.B.5 - Circular Economy and Sustainable Industr
Too much or not enough? The dual nature of green discontent and its geography
Get PDFThis study examines the dual nature of green discontent, which manifests as dissatisfaction with insufficient climate action and opposition to policies perceived as overly restrictive or economically disruptive. The analysis focuses on the spatial dimensions of this phenomenon, assessing how socio-economic, climatic, and institutional factors influence public attitudes toward environmental policies. The study relies on Eurobarometer survey data and voting patterns at the NUTS2 level to capture regional variations in green discontent across Europe. The results reveal clear contrasts between urban areas exposed to climate risks, rural regions dependent on carbon-intensive industries, and economically stable territories. These findings emphasize the importance of adopting place-based approaches to design climate policies that are both equitable and effective. The paper concludes with recommendations on how to integrate territorial environmental justice into climate strategies to address regional vulnerabilities and strengthen public support for ecological transition.JRC.B.7 - Innovation Policies and Economic Impac
Application of environmentally extended social accounting matrix based indicators to address socio-economic and environmental targets in Cameroon
No full textAchieving social, economic, and environmental targets poses significant transitional challenges, requiring countries to adapt to new growth patterns. Cameroon's development strategies prioritize the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, focusing on economic growth, formal job creation, and poverty reduction while simultaneously targeting greenhouse gas emissions decreases. To effectively promote policies aligned with these goals, it is necessary to develop specific databases and indicators. This study presents an application of an Environmentally Extended Social Accounting Matrix based indicators for Cameroon: the ‘Employment Intensity of Carbon’ (EIC). This multidimensional multiplier indicator identifies the quantity of employment generated and the associated emissions produced by an increase in demand. The Hypothetical Extraction Method is then proposed to identify and rank relevant sectors. On the basis of the Nationally Determined Contribution, a case study is then presented to demonstrate the indicator’s usefulness in providing evidence-based results on achieving environmental sustainability targets and its implications for employment. This aims to suggest which economic sectors need to be improved to achieve the emission reduction targets with the least economic and social impact.JRC.D.4 - Economics of the Food Syste