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Advance report on Forest Fires in Europe, Middle East and North Africa 2024
Get PDFThis report contains the annual summary of the wildfire season of 2024 on the basis of data from the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS). It is published early in 2025 to provide an advance comprehensive analysis of the wildfire season 2024. The analysis and data in the report complement the near-real time data provided in the web applications of EFFIS during 2024 and precede the complete analysis of the 2024 wildfire season that will be published in collaboration with the EFFIS country network in the last quarter of 2025.
The report includes an analysis of the fire danger situation in 2024 and correlates this with the impact of wildfires, which is represented by the burnt areas mapped in the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS). Furthermore, the report provides a time series comparison of the fire danger situation and the impact of wildfires in 2024 in relation to the historical overview of the data series in EFFIS.JRC.E.1 - Disaster Risk Managemen
International Spectroradiometer Intercomparison 2024 - Final report
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 12th edition was held in June 2024 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, pyranometers and pyrheliometers. Spectroradiometers were assessed also using the artificial light source of Apollo, a large area steady state solar simulator of ESTI.
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 (direct, diffuse and global normal) and the spectrally resolved spectral irradiance (direct and global normal).
The present report summarizes the results of the Intercomparison, divided in four main sections: in the first section the performance of the broadband irradiance sensors is presented; the second and third are dedicated to the performance indicators of the spectroradiometers in outdoor conditions using natural sunlight and indoor using the Apollo solar simulator; the fourth 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
An overview of biodiversity data reporting by Member States under Article 17 of the Habitats Directive for the reporting period 2013-2018
Get PDFThe European Union's Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC) mandates Member States (MS) to report on the conservation status of species and habitats listed under Annexes I, II, IV, and V every six years. The latest Article 17 reports cover the period from 2013 to 2018, with MS submitting their reports and the EU compiling all information to provide an EU wide assessment for the conservation status and trends of species and habitats along with their main drivers. Despite some improvements between the previous and latest reporting period, most protected habitats and species still have a poor, bad and unknown status, highlighting the immediate actions that need to be taken by MS and the EU to enhance the effective monitoring of biodiversity Europe. We made a technical analysis on the biodiversity data generated by the reporting of Article 17 in 2018 to assess the way in which these data are reported and highlight the similarities and discrepancies among countries. Our analysis revealed several patterns and inconsistencies in the content and process of assessing and reporting biodiversity data, including differences in the units and methods used to calculate different estimates of species’ and habitats’ conservation status. A more comprehensive analysis would be needed to identify specific data gaps and mismatches in the data provided, including both spatial and tabular information, to work towards a more standardized and comprehensive EU-wide monitoring and reporting process. This study complements the analyses performed by the European Topic Center for Biodiversity and may help MS and the European Commission identify first steps to improve the harmonisation of datasets generated by the reporting of Article 17.JRC.D.6 - Nature Conservation and Observation
Emerging risks and opportunities for EU internal security stemming from new technologies
Get PDFThis report explores the transformative potential of Key Enabling Technologies in addressing emerging security challenges within the European Union. Through foresight analysis, the report evaluates technologies such as artificial intelligence, advanced sensing, blockchain, and drones, highlighting their ability to enhance law enforcement and critical infrastructure resilience, while exposing vulnerabilities, such as misuse by criminal actors or regulatory gaps.
The findings emphasise the need for proactive EU policies to both support technology transformation and mitigate risks, including strategic investments in secure innovation, legal harmonisation, and addressing societal concerns. This report aligns with the Commission’s 2024–2029 priorities, supporting a prosperous,
secure, and resilient Europe through actionable insights into emerging security challenges. The recommendations aim to foster effective public-private collaborations, ensure regulatory coherence across Member States, and promote technological solutions that balance security needs with ethical and societal values, reinforcing the EU’s position as a leader in sustainable, innovation-driven policy-making in internal security.JRC.E.6 - Emerging Security Challenge
The Euratom NPHyCo Project: Conceptualization, Technical Work Plan, and Current Status
No full textThis manuscript provides an overview of the goals, technical content, and close-to-final status of the Euratom NPHyCo project. NPHyCo stands for Nuclear Powered Hydrogen Cogeneration, and its ultimate goal is the design and preparation of a large-scale (MW-range) hydrogen cogeneration facility coupled to a nuclear power plant (NPP), which can become operational in a short-term horizon. The project analyses the existing economic, technical, safety and regulatory considerations for NPP owners to produce nuclear hydrogen through several cases of study applied to selected NPP sites and European markets. The manuscript summarizes the main outcomes as of December 2024 regarding the integration scenarios of a hydrogen production plant (HPP) into a NPP site, based on the coupling configuration and sharing of balance-ofplant components between facilities. Given the interest and degree of cooperation of the Ukrainian state operator Energoatom, most of the technical calculations are based on the specifications of Rivne and Khmelnytskyi NPPs,both powered with water-water energy reactor (VVER) technology.The project has delineated a HPP configuration with an overall capacity of 45 MW. The safety assessmentrelies on deterministic and probabilistic methodologies, which are applied through numerical simulation tools.The results are mostly based on example scenarios. However, they allow to derive general conclusions. Deterministiccalculations are applied to a hydrogen plant either in a container or building solution, to determine theoptimal configuration and required safety measures upon an intended release of hydrogen and subsequentignition, leading to a fire or explosion. The hazards of the worst-case scenario in the HPP towards safety-relatedNPP structures are evaluated based on onsite and offsite HPP integration at Rivne NPP, with the correspondingstructural fragility criterion.JRC.G.I.4 - Reactor Safety and Component
Improving the reporting of ecotoxicity data: will SETAC lead the way?
No full textThe utility of ecotoxicity data generated by research activities for scientific and regulatory purposes relies on complete and accurate reporting of study methods and results. While relevant and reliable research data contribute to the scientific evidence base that underpins regulatory decisions,a lack of detail in reporting limits the amount of scientific information that can be used. This letter to the editor calls on publishers and editors, especially those of SETAC society journals, to implement reporting standards to improve the scientific and regulatory use of ecotoxicity studies. These standards should be based on the OECD Guidance Document on the Generation, Reporting and Use of Research Data for Regulatory Assessments, published in October 2025.JRC.F.3 - Systems Toxicolog
New administrative geospatial data for agricultural policy evaluation: an application to EU crop diversity obligations
Get PDFThis study showcases a new class of administrative, geo-spatial data sourced from agricultural subsidy registers as a powerful tool for agricultural policy evaluation. Beyond full national coverage and accurate identification of land use, the key novel feature of GeoSpatial Aid Application (GSAA) data consists in the ability to link agricultural parcels managed by the same farm, enabling causal analysis at the holding level. Using Spanish GSAA data, we evaluate an EU-wide environmental regulation, also unveiling the occurrence of strategic behaviour among a subgroup of farm holdings. We concisely discuss implications for future research endeavours in the agricultural policy domain.JRC.S.3 - Science for Modelling, Monitoring and Evaluatio
Probabilistic Natech risk analysis in the defence sector
Get PDFNatural hazard-triggered technological (Natech) accidents refer to releases of hazardous substances due to natural hazard impacts to technological systems, leading to toxic emission, fire, or explosion events. While relevant EU policy and legislation (e.g., SEVESO III Directive 2012/18/EU) exist for industrial facilities, military installations are usually excluded from their scope. Nonetheless, Natech accidents could also occur in military facilities that store, process, or transport hazardous substances (e.g., explosives), potentially leading to severe consequences, which can be of vital importance for the national security, the safety of citizens, the environment, and the economy. Recent EU military policy acts address the issue of the resilience of defence infrastructure or defence-related critical energy infrastructure under climate-related impacts, but Natech risks are not explicitly covered therein.
This technical report aims to complement existing EU policies and increase the awareness on Natech risks in military facilities by providing scientific evidence. In this respect, a detailed methodology is presented for quantitative (probabilistic) Natech risk analysis for the defence infrastructure, offering a template methodology for similar risk analyses due to natural hazard impacts. Site-specific case studies are carried out, considering three Natech scenarios of increasing complexity. Earthquakes and cascading tsunamis are selected as triggering natural hazards that impact a fictitious military facility, which comprises a diesel oil tank farm and a magazine with explosives. Two Natech accident mechanism are analysed, which involve the direct mechanism due to immediate physical damage to defence assets, and the propagation mechanisms due to domino effects. Natech risk analyses are conducted for a reference period of one year, considering the risk metric of human health impacts. Thus, the annual individual risk of death or severe injuries is computed due to the physical effects of heat radiation in the event of fire, or blast overpressure in case of explosions. For the examined scenarios, the derived individual risks are mapped in contour plots, showing the risk occurrence rate and the associated impact zones. Recommendations are also provided for all examined scenarios towards Natech risk reduction measures and mitigation of adverse consequences.
The developed case-studies could also support the scenario-building initiative of the Union Civil Protection Mechanism (UCPM) for disaster management planning at Union level.JRC.E.2 - Space, Connectivity and Economic Securit
Interrogating the research and development pipeline of artificial intelligence (AI) in health: diagnosis and prediction-based diagnosis
Get PDFDespite the potential significant benefits of AI in health and particular in healthcare, its uptake is slow. Main barriers include trust issues, understandability of outputs and patient safety concerns. While “trustworthy AI“ has been embraced as a policy programme by various global regions, issuing high-level guidance documents, it is currently unclear to which extent the clinical research community is considering these during early steps of the life cycle. To tackle this evidence gap, we systematically interrogated the biomedical literature over 6 months, focusing on the R&D phase of the life cycle in five health application areas of AI. Our analysis builds on three pillars: 1) concerned key attributes, e.g. AI solution availability, type of AI technology, clarity on interpretability considerations, medical field(s), geographic origin. 2) examined awareness and reporting of sensitive concepts related to trustworthy AI. 3) explored case studies, covering various medical fields and development stages. The current report focuses on “diagnosis and prediction-based diagnosis”, summarising results of pillars 1 and 3. We found that the majority of the research articles focus on developing or fine-tuning existing algorithms, with deep learning techniques being the most commonly used. Typically, the publications did not report why specific methods had been used or whether and how interpretability was considered. Our data show considerable innovation, in particular in China, the EU and USA but highlight that clinical researchers seem insufficiently aware of critical issues including the consequences of AI techniques on interpretability. This might delay or complicate later uptake of such AI solutions.JRC.F.2 - Technologies for Healt
Regulatory preparedness for multicomponent nanomaterials: current state, gaps and challenges of REACH
No full textIn 2018 the European Commission adopted revisions to the Annexes of Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006 concerning registration, evaluation, authorisation and restriction of chemicals (REACH) to introduce nanomaterial-specific clarifications and provisions. Multicomponent nanomaterial (MCNM) is a non-regulatory term that has been used in recent EU-funded projects to describe nanomaterials with a complex structure and/or composition and which are expected to be increasingly used in products in the near future. This paper examines the regulatory preparedness of REACH, and its revised Annexes, for MCNMs. Several situations have been identified where there is potential confusion and uncertainty around how regulatory definitions used in REACH should be applied to MCNMs. If a MCNM cannot be identified as falling within a specific definition, understanding the regulatory obligations that apply to it is very difficult. Examples of these grey areas include how the term “surface functionalisation or modification” applies when a chemical is physisorbed to the surface of a nanoform, and the identity of the substance that should be registered when the modification takes it outside the definition of a nanoform. We conclude that the regulatory preparedness can be improved by amending the REACH guidance on information requirements for nanoforms and revising the definition of “nanoform” in line with the updated EC Recommendation on the definition of nanomaterial.JRC.F.2 - Technologies for Healt