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Bridge scour damage detection using an instrumented in-service vehicle
No full textDrive-by bridge health monitoring offers a promising, low-cost approach for detecting subsurface damage using instrumented vehicles, reducing reliance on manual inspections and fixed structural sensors on individual structures. This study focuses on detecting scour damage, permanent settlement at bridge supports, using onboard measurements. A novel, self-calibrating approach based solely on onboard measurements, is developed to estimate vehicle properties through an optimization process. With identified vehicle properties, the inverse Newmark-Beta algorithm infers the profile and/or apparent profile, a combination of road surface profile and bridge deflection under the wheels. Scour damage is detected by observing changes in the inferred apparent profiles in healthy and damaged conditions. The approach is validated through simulations and field testing on a near-full-scale bridge at the European Commission's Joint Research Centre in Ispra, Italy. Simulations target the detection of 2 mm scour settlement, while the field testing successfully detects an average settlement of 4 mm over a number of runs. The results show a clear distinction in the apparent profile patterns between healthy and damaged states, with strong repeatability across multiple runs of the same vehicle. This demonstrates the method's reliability and potential for practical deployment in real-world environments.JRC.E.3 - Built Environmen
The Corporate Income Tax Gap
Get PDFThis paper examines the Corporate Income Tax (CIT) compliance gap, the difference between revenue due under full compliance and actual collections, across 23 EU Member States, Norway,
and Iceland. Existing bottom-up and top-down estimation methods each face notable limitations:
Bottom-up approaches are data-intensive and hard to harmonise, while top-down methods depend on uncertain adjustments for undeclared activity and cannot adequately capture multinational profit shifting. An implementation of the IMF RA-GAP top-down method in Spain illustrates these challenges, revealing substantial data needs, conceptual mismatches between national accounts
and tax data, and reliance on unverifiable assumptions.
To address these issues, the Joint Research Centre proposes a simplified top-down methodology based on Eurostat s exhaustiveness adjustments. This approach is transparent, reproducible, and feasible with data already reported by Member States. Applying it across countries reveals large variation in CIT gaps ranging from below 3% in high-compliance jurisdictions to above 20 35% in others with an unweighted average gap of 10.9% (around EUR 38 billion in 2017). Sectoral patterns consistently show higher gaps in informal, cash-intensive industries and lower gaps in regulated sectors.
The paper concludes that while no single method captures all dimensions of non-compliance, the proposed approach offers a practical tool for regular EU-wide monitoring. Its effectiveness depends on the timely and harmonised publication of exhaustiveness adjustment data to support consistent CIT gap estimation and policy analysis.JRC.B.2 - Fiscal Policy Analysi
Scientific, Technical and Economic Committee for Fisheries (STECF) – Fishing effort regime for demersal fisheries in West Med (STECF-25-11)
Get PDFCommission Decision of 25 February 2016 setting up a Scientific, Technical and Economic Committee for Fisheries, C(2016) 1084, OJ C 74, 26.2.2016, p. 4–10. The Commission may consult the group on any matter relating to marine and fisheries biology, fishing gear technology, fisheries economics, fisheries governance, ecosystem effects of fisheries, aquaculture or similar disciplines. This report is the 14th of a suite of STECF EWG reports dedicated to the evaluation of the implementation of the Western Mediterranean Sea Multi-Annual management Plan. The report was presented to and reviewed by the STECF during its plenary meeting 10-14 November 2025.JRC.D.2 - Ocean and Wate
Scientific, Technical and Economic Committee for Fisheries (STECF) – Evaluation of work plans for data collection and data transmission issues (STECF-25-16)
Get PDFCommission Decision of 25 February 2016 setting up a Scientific, Technical and Economic Committee for Fisheries, C(2016) 1084, OJ C 74, 26.2.2016, p. 4–10. The Commission may consult the group on any matter relating to marine and fisheries biology, fishing gear technology, fisheries economics, fisheries governance, ecosystem effects of fisheries, aquaculture or similar disciplines. This report on the evaluation of Work Plans for data collection and data transmission issues has been reviewed by STECF during the 2025 winter plenary meeting.JRC.D.2 - Ocean and Wate
The many roles of decision thresholds for primary research, evidence synthesis and health decision-making
No full textBackground
A decision threshold (DT) reflects the point at which a decision or judgment changes, leading to the selection of an action or a commitment for one of several alternatives. Thresholds have always played a role in decision-making. Very small effects may achieve statistical significance yet remain not important to patients or the public. Judgments shift, for instance, from “no or trivial effect” to “small, moderate, and large benefit” with direct implications for decision-making. However, in guideline panels and other clinical or policy decisions, these thresholds are often applied subconsciously when interpreting effect estimates from studies and likely to vary across panel members.
Study Design and Setting
In this commentary, inspired by the concepts leading to recent publications by the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) working group and its members, we argue that the use of DTs has many advantages.
Results
DTs are the basis for an interpretation of results that is not centered on “statistical significance.” In addition, DTs are useful for other aspects of evidence synthesis. The certainty of evidence ratings using the GRADE approach (https://book.gradepro.org/) are centered on DTs, including the determination of the target of the certainty rating, with advantages for transparency, objectivity, and simplicity. For example, judging imprecision is informed by DTs. Specifically, the number of DTs crossed by the plausible effect sizes, as indicated by its confidence interval, helps determine the degree of uncertainty assigned in a GRADE assessment of imprecision, including the number of levels of certainty a user rates down. DTs have also altered the way how users can transparently integrate bodies of evidence from both nonrandomized and randomized studies. Once determined, DTs can be used to validate automated judgments about the certainty of evidence. Beyond these developments, DTs can be useful for designing primary research. For example, sample size calculations could use standardized DTs for large effects when there are known harms that the intended benefits need to outweigh.JRC.F.1 - Disease Preventio
Comparing ecological classifications of freshwater lakes based on reference conditions for benthic invertebrates derived from spatial analogues and paleolimnological approaches
No full textA critical step in lake ecological assessment is establishing appropriate reference conditions, which enable the measurement of differences between the current status and these baseline conditions. To achieve this, spatial analogues and paleolimnology are two common approaches, each with strengths and limitations, but few studies have directly compared their performance. This study compares the ecological classification of Swedish lakes based on benthic invertebrate reference conditions derived from these two approaches. Overall, while both approaches yielded similar classifications, the key distinction lies in the emphasis on site-specific (sediment-based paleolimnology) versus type-specific (spatial analogues) conditions. As such, sediment-based estimates are generally more accurate and better suited to establish lake-specific baseline conditions. However, given the ongoing impacts of climate change, restoring lakes to their historical states may no longer be feasible due to climate-induced “shifting baselines”. Spatial methods, by contrast, offer a more accurate representation of current conditions by accounting for climate-induced changes and by isolating human pressures. Nonetheless, the challenge of addressing human impacts, often presumed to be negligible, on reference lakes used in the spatial approaches remains unresolved. Our findings highlight the challenges of shifting ecological baselines, where climate change and anthropogenic pressures increasingly overlap. Consequently, there is a risk that current frameworks misclassify lake conditions by attributing climate-induced changes to anthropogenic pressures or overlooking them entirely. We recommend integrating paleolimnological records with current monitoring to improve ecological classification and better account for climate-driven changes in lake ecosystems, and improve assessment tools.JRC.D.2 - Ocean and Wate
Digital monitoring, algorithmic management and the platformisation of work in the EU
Get PDFThis policy brief describes the main results from the AIM-WORK survey regarding digital monitoring, algorithmic management and the platformisation of work across Member States.JRC.B.6 - Industrial strategy, skills and technology transfe
Case Study of Andalusia space ecosystem: Unlocking regional potential through dual use and defence industry
Get PDFThis report documents the findings of a review of the space ecosystem of Andalusia (Spain), carried out in 2025 within the framework of REGDUALOSA (Regions, Dual Use, Open Strategic Autonomy), an exploratory research initiative of the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission. The review was developed in partnership with the Regional Ministry of Industry, Energy and Mining and explores some of the policy pathways Andalusia might take to develop the space domain as a dual-use industry, thereby boosting regional competitiveness and contributing to European strategic autonomy. The analysis adapts the POINT methodology developed by the JRC, combining documentary research, expert interviews, and stakeholder consultations.
The study positions Andalusia within a volatile global landscape in which competitiveness, security, defence, and preparedness have emerged as central priorities of the European Union. Recent geostrategic tensions and the imperative of enhancing European defence capabilities, as underscored in the White Paper on European Defence Readiness 2030 and the Readiness 2030 initiative, highlight the urgency of consolidating the European Defence Technological and Industrial Base (EDTIB). Andalusia, home to Spain’s second-largest aerospace cluster, aspires to develop its space domain, while diversifying beyond its traditional reliance on aerostructures.
The report advances seven lines of action: scaling up the industry through defence integration and international expansion; streamlining access to finance; reinforcing industrial competitiveness; strengthening multi-level governance; fostering demand-driven innovation; and addressing talent shortages. Furthermore, it incorporates preparedness as a driver of transformative innovation and explores its interlinkages with dual-use technologies, promoting policy experimentation to address responses to climate-related disasters and hybrid threats.
The report thus provides a timely foundation for Andalusia’s forthcoming steps. The participation of the Regional Government of Andalusia in the Experimentation Journey on Territorial Preparedness, under the Preparatory Action Innovation for Place-Based Transformation led by the Joint Research Centre and financed by the European Parliament, constitutes a unique opportunity to translate the insights of this report into new initiatives in cooperation with other European territories.JRC.B.7 - Innovation Policies and Economic Impac
European Indoor Radon Maps 2024
Get PDFEpidemiological studies and extensive research have established a strong consensus among national and international health organizations that chronic exposure to elevated radon concentrations significantly increases the risk of lung cancer. Enclosed environments, i.e. areas with low to no continuous ventilation, are more prone to radon accumulation over time. The European Union Member States, as well as other neighbouring countries, have recently carried out radon surveys within their national radon action plans that are fundamental to ensure that radon concentrations are kept below the national reference levels.
The European Commission Joint Research Centre has collected the readings carried out on the ground floors of residential buildings and made them publicly available as geographical maps showing the number of measurements and average concentration at a 10-km side square geographical cell. These maps—called the European Indoor Radon Maps (EIRM)—have been periodically published online since 2018. The current report includes the latest updated EIRMs, published in November 2024, along with additional information related to this update. The work was carried out under the coordination of the European Commission Joint Research Centre (EC-JRC) within the REMON project framework in line with the science for policy mandate of the JRC.JRC.G.I.4 - Reactor Safety and Component
Quality assurance and quality control for human biomonitoring data—focus on matrix reference materials
No full textHuman biomonitoring (HBM) is an essential tool for making evidence-based policy decisions upon assessment of human exposure to pollutants. In contrast, the heterogeneity of data reliability across studies has been identified as a weakness in current HBM research. The scientific community is currently encountering measurement challenges due to gaps in the availability of quality assurance/quality control (QA/QC) tools. This article provides a summarised view on the availability of reference materials in human matrices such as hair, serum, blood, plasma, urine, and breast milk for selected groups of organic contaminants (e.g., pesticides, flame retardants, perfluorinated compounds, perchlorate, phthalates, phenols) and elements (e.g., mercury, arsenic, cadmium, chromium, lead, nickel, tin) of relevance to human health. The QA/QC situation of HBM measurement data with regard to laboratories’ performance in proficiency testing schemes is also addressed, highlighting areas for improvement. Finally, the article uses the example of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substance analysis to illustrate QA/QC challenges specifically related to the HBM field.JRC.F.6 - Reference Material