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A review of the used car market in the European Union
Get PDFThe European fleet of passenger cars is increasing in size and rapidly ageing. A larger stock of older vehicles introduces a legacy effect limiting the adoption of newer cars, thus slowing down the transition towards more fuel-efficient and less polluting ones. Yet, little is known about the characteristics of the used vehicle market in Europe. This report contributes to filling this gap by providing an integrated analysis of the EU-27 used light-duty vehicle market. First, it summarizes the major challenges observed in the analysis of macro-scale sale statistics of used vehicles – trade flows between Member States and from and to third countries. Second, it sources new data on used vehicle characteristics from Member State vehicle agencies, providing an additional focus on the emerging second-hand market for electric vehicles. Analysis of the four largest EU passenger car markets – France, Germany, Italy and Spain – revealed that the vehicle fleet has aged substantially between 2007 and 2023 and that different countries are characterised by different trends in the used market. A growing market of used electrified vehicles was equally identified, with substantial variation across Member States.JRC.C.4 - Sustainable, Smart and Safe Mobilit
Building capacity for evidence-informed policymaking in governance and public administration in a post-pandemic Europe - Country analysis, policy recommendations and implementation roadmap Greece
Get PDFThis report constitutes the integrated country report for Greece in the project "Building capacity for evidence informed policymaking (EIPM) in governance and public administration in post-pandemic Europe" . The project supports seven European Union (EU) member states (Estonia, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Greece, Lithuania, Latvia and the Netherlands) in improving the effectiveness of their public administrations, through greater capacity for supply and uptake of scientific knowledge, evaluation, and evidence in policymaking. The expected long-term impact of this project is the reinforced institutional integration of the use of evidence, science and evaluation for policymaking in the participating member states throughout the policy cycle and by taking an ecosystem perspective which builds on actors, institutions and procedures.
This integrated report for Greece presents the results of a multistage analysis following a survey at the beginning of the project, interviews, focus groups, participatory workshops, document analyses and desk research. The Integrated country report contains three sub-reports in chronological order of their writing: the diagnostic report (chapter 4) the needs and gaps assessment (chapter 5) and finally the roadmap (chapter 6) which is informed and builds on the findings of the previous reports. The roadmap includes policy recommendations for further actions that can underpin a sustainable EIPM ecosystem in Greece. All three reports focus on the supply, demand side of the EIPM ecosystem as well as the brokerage level where supply and demand meet. The term ‘supply side’ refers to organizations supplying the evidence to be used in policy processes. ‘Demand’ refers to those using evidence and scientific knowledge in their policy processes. The ‘knowledge broker’ level refers to boundary organisations or units which aim to support and facilitate the use of scientific evidence in policymaking by engaging in relevant functions and activities on the science for policy interfaceJRC.S.2 - Science for Democracy and Evidence-Informed Policymakin
Building capacity for evidence-informed policymaking in governance and public administration in a post-pandemic Europe - Country analysis, policy recommendations and implementation roadmap Czech Republic
Get PDFThis report is the result of the two-year long multi-country Technical Support Instrument project ‘Building capacity for evidence-informed policymaking (EIPM) in governance and public administration in a post-pandemic Europe’ implemented by the Joint Research Centre (JRC) and the OECD and funded by DG REFORM. The project’s goal is to improve the effectiveness of the participating Member State’s public administrations, through greater capacity for supply and uptake of scientific knowledge, evaluation and evidence in policymaking and thus to provide recommendations on reforms of the science-for-policy ecosystem in countries that requested support. The project was conducted in seven EU countries: Belgium, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Greece, Latvia, Lithuania and the Netherlands.
This Final report delivers findings gathered through common effort of all involved parties – local national experts, JRC experts in charge of this project, as well as the beneficiary organisations (BOs) and other stakeholders that worked on a common goal to improve the uptake of scientific research and evidence in policymaking. The key chapter of the Final report is the Roadmap that provides concrete recommendations on how to strengthen EIPM processes in governance and public administration, with a focus on governance structures, processes, and resources leading to design and implementation of public policies and on narrowing the competence gaps of scientists and policymakers.JRC.S.2 - Science for Democracy and Evidence-Informed Policymakin
Freshwater Biodiversity Risk Exposure of Natura 2000 Sites to Industrial Pollution
No full textWhile every protected natural park can be exposed to pollution, some may suffer more. We develop methods to analyze their freshwater biodiversity risks from industrial sites around Europe. This study is novel as it is the first attempt at linking the European Pollutant Release and Transfer database to the geographic data of Natura 2000 sites. Furthermore, we applied the improved characterization factors in the Environmental Footprint database published by the European Commission. The proximity of biggest industrial facilities to Natura 2000 sites, which is the largest network of protected areas in the world, can affect freshwater biodiversity risks in Europe and globally. We quantify hazards in the recent past and at the Natura 2000 site level. We find that European protected natural areas are exposed to more eutrophication and biodiversity risks mostaly from the Sewerage and water treatment sector in the most industrialised EU regions especially in the Benelux states, Southern Germany, in Northern Italy and South-West France. 370 of the E-PRTR facilities were located less than 500 meter away from Natura 2000 sites with protected freshwater species, 126 of which less than 100 meters away and 51 within Natura 2000 sites. River basin districts of the Danube, Ebro and the Elbe were estimated to be most affected by pollutant releases with ecotoxicity and eutrophication impact potential in 2019. Approximately 3 percent of industrial facilities reporting to the E-PRTR pollutant releases into water are closer to foreign national parks with freshwater fish or amphibian species than to the closest Natura 2000 park in the country where they are located. All this calls for improved monitoring and respective prevention measures in some key regions of Europe along with international biodiversity loss mitigation effortJRC.S.3 - Science for Modelling, Monitoring and Evaluatio
The Role of Migration and Fertility for the Future Size of the EU’s Population
Get PDFThe EU’s population is peaking after decades of below-replacement fertility across its Member States. However, the population size of some EU countries is projected to continue to increase due to migration and the general emergence of migration as a significant driver of population change in high-income, post-demographic transition regions such as the EU. This policy brief analyses the complex interplay of fertility and migration on the future population size of EU member states. It specifically looks at the impact of migration within the EU and from outside the EU. Our findings show considerable disparities in population dynamics across EU countries and the important role that migration between Member Statesn plays in shaping their demographic future. However, our results suggest that migration is unlikely to fully compensate for low fertility levels to prevent population decline in most EU countries. In the policy context, migration can be complementary levers to address challenges arising from population ageing and population decline in low fertility regions.JRC.E.5 - Demography and Migratio
Comparing transparent and covert nudges
No full textDo transparent and non-transparent nudges have similar effects? The question is central in recent research on behavioural public policy, as it leads to ethical and practical implications regarding policy-maker responsibility, citizen agency, and nudge design. We meta-analysed results from 23 publications designed to compare transparent to covert nudges including 117 effect sizes and found a positive effect of transparency on behavioural outcomes, but no effect on non-behavioural outcomes. The moderator analyses revealed that studies conducted online, manipulating the decision structure, and conducted in the domain ‘other’ tended to exhibit significantly positive transparency effects for behavioural outcomes. We note that all but two studies were conducted online or in the lab, and that there is an over-representation of research on default nudges (88% of total effects), severely limiting the generalizability of the findings. Thus, we call for an improvement of research conducted on transparent nudges and the inclusion of more nudge types, preferably in a field setting. We also stress the importance of defining the form of transparency that societies require for respecting their citizen’s autonomy.JRC.S.1 - EU Policy Lab: Foresight, Design & Behavioural Insight
Consumption Footprint and Domestic Footprint Outlook Report 2025
Get PDFThe European Commission - Joint Research Centre has developed and kept updating since 2016 a modelling framework that includes the Consumption Footprint (CF) and the Domestic Footprint (CF) models, which have become established as a means for monitoring the progress of the EU’s environmental performance. The models are based on Life Cycle Assessment, and use the Environmental Footprint (EF) impact assessment method to produce a set of 16 indicators (also available as a single weighted score) to assess the environmental impacts of EU production and consumption, and compare to the planetary boundaries.
This report describes how these models can be applied to generate an outlook in the framework of the Zero Pollution Action Plan (ZPAP) for 2030. This is performed via: (i) calculating the ZPAP official targets in the context of the models, (ii) integrating selected relevant and illustrative green transition measures from the targets and ambitions of the European Green Deal (iii) comparing three progressively more ambitious scenarios simulating the achievement of these measures.
The results indicate that the gap is widening between the environmental impacts occurring within the EU’s borders and those linked to consumption via supply chains, that is, those that result from imports into the EU. The selected green transition measures should make progress in terms of reducing environmental impact within the EU. However, via integrating additional ambitions the EU could accelerate actions for almost all EF environmental indicators, and reduce the EU’s environmental impact of consumption even below the ZPAP 2030 targets.JRC.D.3 - Land Resources and Supply Chain Assessment
Impact load characterization for security barrier performance assessment through simulations using generic vehicle models
No full textThe threat stemming from the use of vehicles as a weapon in urban environments may be mitigated by employing properly designed protective structures such as bollards, street furniture or landscaping options. In order to assess the performance of a barrier resistance to a vehicle impact, the initial step involves characterizing the load on the barrier. To this aim, two recently developed generic vehicle models are utilized to conduct numerical simulations of vehicle impacts on a security barrier. Various impact configurations are examined and compared based on force-time functions. In addition to comparing the impact loadings in terms of peak forces, comparisons are also done in terms of equivalent static loads, determined by computing the dynamic load factors (DLF). The study provides new insights into the characterization of vehicle impact loads on security barriers, which could improve current engineering practices in the field.JRC.E.3 - Built Environmen
Safety Assessment of Graphene-Based Materials
No full textGraphene is the first 2D atomic crystal, and its isolation heralded a new era inmaterials science with the emergence of several other atomically thinmaterials displaying multifunctional properties. The safety assessment of newmaterials is often something of an afterthought, but in the case of graphene, the initial isolation and characterization of the material was soon followed by the assessment of its potential impact on living systems. The Graphene Flagship project addressed the health and environmental aspects of graphene and other 2D materials, providing an instructive lesson in interdisciplinarity – from materials science to biology. Here, the outcomes of the toxicological and ecotoxicological studies performed on graphene and its derivatives, and the key lessons learned from this decade-long journey, are highlighted.JRC.F.2 - Technologies for Healt
JRC MARS Bulletin - Crop monitoring in Europe - February 2025 - Vol. 33 No 1
No full textWinter crops in most parts of the European Union are in fair to good condition. Irreversible losses to yield potentials, have occurred in some parts, but more seriously in neighbouring countries, particularly eastern Ukraine, Morocco and Algeria. An extensive overview of crop conditions in the Maghreb is given in a specific section of this edition.JRC.D.5 - Food Securit