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Trade spillover effects of transport infrastructure investments: a structural gravity analysis for the EU regions
No full textA structural gravity model is used to estimate the regional trade and welfare effects of the reduction in transport costs between and within European Union regions induced by European Union Cohesion Policy road infrastructure investment. The results imply that, in targeted regions, the policy increases interregional real exports by 0.03% and real gross domestic product (GDP) by 0.15% on average. The gains in real GDP are the highest in the regions receiving most funds. Although the policy always leads to more goods being shipped, for some regions it implies less trade external to the region and more trade within.JRC.B.7 - Innovation Policies and Economic Impac
Short and longer-term effects of European regional policy
No full textWe quantify the system-wide impact of the European Structural Funds 2014-20 using a large-scale spatial general equilibrium model, calibrated for 89 regions in the EU and the UK. We find that policies that stimulate private and public investment have larger and longer-lasting effects than demand-side policies. In the latter case, the model shows a rapid adjustment to the post-policy equilibrium, which limits the legacy effects of the interventions. In addition, we show the importance of agents' expectations in assessing the impact of the interventions supported by the funds. A model with perfect foresight tends to predict smaller impacts than a model with myopic agents would imply. The regional distribution of the differences in GDP impact between the two variants of the model suggests that the largest deviations are recorded for net beneficiary regions, with interesting implications for perceived policy persistence, the nature of interventions, and their long-term effects.JRC.B.7 - Innovation Policies and Economic Impac
Institutionalising experimentation in innovation policy: challenges and solutions in upscaling
Get PDFThe paper addresses one of the major weaknesses of transformative innovation policy: the lack of solutions for institutionalising experimentation beyond pilots. To address this issue, we explore a) pilots and policy labs as two potential approaches to experimentation, b) the issue of institutionalising experimentation in the regional context through individual agencies or bottom-up, self-organised stakeholder involvement, and c) methodological issues in implementing partnerships for regional innovation (PRI). In our argumentation, we draw on the experiences from the EU regional innovation policy, particularly from the Slovenian research and innovation partnerships (SRIP) and regions in Denmark, the Netherlands and Sweden. Although they are cases from institutionally different contexts, they are all explicitly or implicitly grounded in the ‘learning networks’ approach. Our analysis suggests that: a) pilots and policy labs as the mainstream institutional solutions to experimentation, at least in the context of the EU regional innovation policy, face serious challenges, b) transformative regional policies require complementary national or regional government-facilitated approaches complemented by bottom-up driven partnerships for regional innovation, and c) organisationally these partnerships can build on the accumulated experience of network-based programs. We provide tentative advice on how policies should be designed to increase the chance of upscaling.JRC.B.7 - Innovation Policies and Economic Impac
Increasing aridification calls for urgent global adaptive solutions and policy action
No full textAridification threatens over 2.3 billion people by reshaping landscapes and increasing socio-economic vulnerabilities, demanding immediate policy actions and global cooperation to enhance resilience and develop transformative solutions.JRC.E.1 - Disaster Risk Managemen
Geospatial Analysis Tools supporting the Risk Assessment of the Regulation on deforestation-free supply chains
Get PDFThe JRC developed and updates the Global Forest Cover map for the year 2020 (GFC2020) as a support tool for the implementation of the EU Regulation on deforestation-free supply chains (Regulation (EU) 2023/1115, in short EUDR). The report serves stakeholders, foremost operators and traders concerned with the risk assessment as set out in article 10 of this regulation, to assess the requested geospatial information against the GFC2020 map. The report describes basic procedures for data visualization and intersection for three freely available software tools: the JRC IMPACT Toolbox, Quantum GIS and Google Earth Engine. To facilitate the assessment, the JRC developed an extension for the IMPACT Toolbox, tailored to the demands of data viewing and intersection in the context of the EUDR.JRC.D.1 - Forests and Bio-Econom
Expert-driven explainable artificial intelligence models can detect multiple climate hazards relevant for agriculture
No full textConcurrent climate extremes have severe consequences on societies, economies, and natural systems. Multi-hazard risk-oriented early warning systems are essential to reduce impacts, enhance preparedness, and boost adaptation. Yet, the growing volume and variety of spatio-temporal data combined with the increasing frequency of concurrent extremes pose challenges to the rapid detection and tracking of harmful events. Artificial intelligence offers an opportunity to deal with these challenges, especially when interpretability and explainability are ensured. Here, we show how expert-driven and explainable artificial intelligence models can probabilistically detect multiple agriculture-related hazards. The models are trained using the work of agro-climatic experts who, over decades, operationally identified multiple climate hazards affecting agriculture in Europe. The models identify the main drivers leading to the detection of affected areas while effectively dealing with large datasets to provide probabilistic results and uncertainty estimation. Results highlight the added value of expert-driven and explainable artificial intelligence models in supporting risk management as well as effective and sustainable adaptation, particularly when integrated into early warning systems and sectoral climate services. Grounded on expert-driven information, the models contribute to a better understanding of the complex dynamics behind the onset and spatio-temporal evolution of climate extremes and to enhanced trust in defining and communicating affected areas.JRC.E.1 - Disaster Risk Managemen
Increasing plastic circularity in the automotive sector: supply chain analysis and policy options from the European Union (EU)
No full textThe circular economy aims to decouple growth from unsustainable environmental impacts by optimizing resource consumption, minimizing waste and pollution. In the past decade, the European Union has been developing policies to implement this concept in practice. However, realizing a circular economy is a complex process, affected by a multitude of cultural, regulatory, economic, and technical drivers and barriers. To date, a broad gap of empirical knowledge concerning these drivers and barriers remains. This empirical study addresses a fraction of this gap by focusing on the drivers and barriers to recycling in the plastic supply chain within the EU automotive sector. The analysis is based on secondary data from scientific and grey literature, integrated with primary data from a comprehensive consultation of EU industry stakeholders. Results include two main elements: a supply chain map, outlining stakeholder interactions and material flows; a list of 15 barriers and 8 drivers for increasing recycled plastic content in new vehicles, contextualized within the supply chain. From a practice perspective, these results directly contribute to EU circular economy policy, by informing regulatory interventions in in the context of the review of the end-of-life vehicles directive. From a theory perspective, we illustrate how circularity drivers and barriers may be identified at the meso-level using the supply chain as a unit of analysis, while demonstrating how such approach is relevant to inform concrete policy interventions.JRC.S.4 - Scientific Development Programme
Interlaboratory Comparison Reveals State of the Art in Microplastic Detection and Quantification Methods
No full textIn this study, we investigate the current accuracy of widely used microplastic (MP) detection methods through an interlaboratory comparison (ILC) involving ISO-approved techniques. The ILC was organized under the prestandardization platform of VAMAS (Versailles Project on Advanced Materials and Standards) and gathered a large number (84) of analytical laboratories across the globe. The aim of this ILC was (i) to test and to compare two thermo-analytical and three spectroscopical methods with respect to their suitability to identify and quantify microplastics in a water-soluble matrix and (ii) to test the suitability of the microplastic test materials to be used in ILCs. Two reference materials (RMs), polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and polyethylene (PE) as powders with rough size ranges between 10 and 200 μm, were used to press tablets for the ILC. The following parameters had to be assessed: polymer identity, mass fraction, particle number concentration, and particle size distribution. The reproducibility, SR, in thermo-analytical experiments ranged from 62%–117% (for PE) and 45.9%–62% (for PET). In spectroscopical experiments, the SR varied between 121% and 129% (for PE) and 64% and 70% (for PET). Tablet dissolution turned out to be a very challenging step and should be optimized. Based on the knowledge gained, development of guidance for improved tablet filtration is in progress. Further, in this study, we discuss the main sources of uncertainties that need to be considered and minimized for preparation of standardized protocols for future measurements with higher accuracy.JRC.F.2 - Technologies for Healt
eurad - European Joint Programme on Radioactive Waste Management
No full textThe Joint Research Centre continues to play a significant role in the EURAD (European Joint Programme on Radioactive Waste Management) programme, contributing to its success through strategic and managerial tasks, scientific expertiese, and hot cell experiments.JRC.G.I.3 - Safety of the Nuclear Fuel Cycl
JRC Work Programme 2025-2027
Get PDFThe JRC Work Programme 2025-2027 focuses on prioritisation, scientific excellence, and the core strengths of the JRC – anticipation, integration and impact of EU policies. It integrates the JRC’s work across scientific and policy domains, and builds links between the different scientific and policy areas inside the Commission and beyond, since the challenges we face are so complex that one single area of science can rarely provide all the necessary answers. Through the work of its 25 portfolios, the JRC Work Programme 2025-2027 supports the political priorities of the new Commission and multiple legislative and non-legislative initiatives included in the European Commission Work Programme 2025.JRC.A.2 - Strategy and Coordinatio