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Multi-Criteria Decision Support for Small Modular Reactors
Get PDFSince the public debate on nuclear energy and its risks and advantages is very polarized in the EU, the potential for a complex and difficult decision-making process on SMRs is very high. The goal of SMCE is not to replace decision making agents with a mathematical model but to depict the challenges of the decision problem and thus to foster knowledge-based policy making and transparency. Clearly, SMCE can help in having a participatory, transparent, multi-disciplinary, consistent and re-peatable framework for comparing different alter-natives that could be particularly valuable for an analysis of SMR technologies.JRC.S.3 - Science for Modelling, Monitoring and Evaluatio
Towards sustainable food systems: developing a monitoring framework for the EU
No full textAdequate monitoring of the EU transition toward sustainable food systems can promote policy coherence and provide better evidence for informed policy making. This paper presents an initial concept and methodology for an EU food system monitoring framework, integrating a systems’ perspective and key sustainability elements relevant to the EU context. Grounded in scientific evidence and extensive dialogues among scientific experts with interdisciplinary backgrounds, we define an EU food system sustainability model that provides a conceptual framework for monitoring. This model encompasses 12 thematic areas and 37 indicator domains, synthetized through a rigorous review of existing frameworks and the assessment of nearly 250 relevant indicators via a transparent workflow and an integrated collaborative digital tool. We identify data gaps that signal challenges ahead in effective monitoring, but also opportunities for research and cooperation. To advance with an EU food system monitoring framework, it is essential to engage in participatory processes with stakeholders, ensuring an inclusive and transparent approach.JRC.D.5 - Food Securit
An overview of the expected public values arising from blockchain adoption in the European public sector
No full textPurpose – This study aims to systematically explore the anticipated realisation of public values through blockchain technology (BCT) within the European public sector. Its purpose is to offer a comprehensive analysis of BCT implementations, focusing on the various expected public values and understanding how these expectations shape the adoption of BCT in public administration across Europe.
Design/methodology/approach – This research involves a qualitative analysis of 165 BCT use cases across European governments at the national, regional and local levels. The study employs a public values lens, categorising the expected public values into three clusters: internal, external and relational.
Findings – The results indicate that most cases focus on external transformation, aiming to improve public service provision and enhance citizen satisfaction and engagement by increasing public trust, efficiency, accountability and transparency. For the internal dimension, the results emphasise security, efficiency and cooperativeness as expected public values in adopting BCT. Finally, fewer cases highlight expectations related to relational public values, such as citizen involvement and democratic participation.
Originality/value – This research offers new insights into BCT in the public sector through a public values lens within the European context. It examines the expected public values arising from BCT adoption, providing insights for policymakers and practitioners considering BCT integration in daily operations. This study emphasises the need for further empirical research to explore BCT’s potential in realising these expected public values and to evaluate the trade-offs and disruptive impacts on public administrations.JRC.T.1 - Digital Econom
State of the art modelling for the Black Sea ecosystem to support European policies
No full textIn recent years, the JRC has developed a scientific and modelling tool, the Blue2 Modelling Framework (Blue2 MF) to support the implementation of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD). The recent Administrative Arrangement (AA) (N° 090201/2022/885171/AA/ENV.C.2 - "MSFD 2023-2026"), signed between Directorate General for Environment (ENV) and Directorate General Joint Research Centre (JRC), (Sustainable Resources, Ocean and Water Unit [D.02]), aims to further develop the Blue2 MF in support of the implementation and potential revision of the MSFD.
Specifically, the Blue2 MF aims at analysing the impacts of policy options on marine environmental status (through the evaluation of MSFD descriptors and criteria) by modelling of scenarios, with the goal of providing independent and evidence-based support in the assessment of the status of implementation throughout the whole policy cycle of the MSFD.
In this context, this paper further extends the capacities of the Blue2 MF, covering more EU marine regions, in this case the higher trophic level (HTL) model of the Black Sea ecosystem. This paper, which is part of Deliverable 1.1 of the AA, includes a description of the modelled basin, configuration/set up and referenced datasets.
The model represented the mid-1990s’ conditions in the Black Sea and included the representation of the ecosystem from primary producers to marine mammals and sea birds. The model simulations covered a period between from 1995-2021. The results showed that gulls & cormorant seabirds, sprat, horse mackerel and mugilidae had structuring role in the food web. Fishing fleet had indirect negative impacts on marine mammals in addition to commercially exploited species. Analysis of the ecosystem indicators confirmed the overall temporal degradation of the Black Sea when comparing results with other Black Sea models, whilst the comparison with the Mediterranean Sea allowed us to identify comparable indicators between similar model structures. The spatial/temporal model successfully simulated the overall ongoing declining dynamics of the Black Sea ecosystem as the biomasses of the majority of the functional groups had significant decreasing trends during the simulation period. This model is the first attempt to represent the historical and current state of the Black Sea ecosystem spatially and temporally, serving as a reference baseline for evaluating policy scenarios and assisting policy makers in the evaluation of potential environmental impacts of management options.JRC.D.2 - Ocean and Wate
The Impacts of African Continental Free Trade Area on COMESA
Get PDFThis study analyses the impact of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) on the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) using a recursively dynamic global computable general equilibrium (CGE) model, MAGNET. The study considers two policy measures: cuts in bilateral tariff rates and the reduction of non-tariff measures (NTMs) in intra-African trade flows. The results show that AfCFTA can generate an additional 0.55% increase in COMESA's economic growth by 2035, with a corresponding increase in household disposable income and purchasing power for lower-income households. The study also finds that COMESA will increase its total trade, especially with African trade partners, and diversify its export and import markets in Africa. The AfCFTA is expected to promote industrialization in COMESA through trade creation in manufactured goods and increase the share of agricultural consumption imports. However, non-tariff barriers remain a challenge in facilitating trade into the African markets.JRC.D.4 - Economics of the Food Syste
Environmental and economic assessment of plastic waste recycling and energy recovery pathways in the EU
No full textPhysical and chemical recycling technologies are seen as key to increasing plastic recycling, although their potential environmental and economic impacts are not yet fully understood. This study provides a comparative environmental and economic assessment of plastic waste recycling (mechanical, physical, chemical) and energy recovery, using primary data complemented with external information. Our findings suggest that for climate change mitigation, physical or chemical recycling constitute better alternative for processing plastic waste currently sent to energy recovery or landfill. This preference does not hold true for other impact categories given the current EU energy mix, but it is likely to apply in a future cleaner EU energy system. A clear ranking could not be established amongst mechanical, physical and chemical recycling as their environmental performance depends on the specific plastic waste fraction treated. The same applies for costs. The findings of this study can be used to support policy makers and businesses in their decision-making by establishing whether either recycling (mechanical, physical, chemical) or energy recovery of plastic waste are the preferred solution from an environmental and economic point of view.JRC.B.5 - Circular Economy and Sustainable Industr
Supporting EU policy implementation with co-creation
Get PDFThis science for policy brief explores the role of co-creation as a strategic approach for supporting the implementation of EU policies. It focuses on how collaborative processes ensure that policies not only meet the practical needs of diverse stakeholders while fostering innovation and ownership. Drawing on two cases within the context of the Interoperable Europe Act (Regulation (EU) 2024/903), this brief illustrates how co-creation can support policy implementation, while contributing to digital transformation across the EU.JRC.T.1 - Digital Econom
Surface reactions of ethanol on UO2 thin film. Dehydrogenation and dehydration pathways
No full textThe reaction of ethanol has been investigated on a UO2 thin film by temperature programmed desorption. Two channels for ethanol desorption are identified. The first, in the 250–500 K region, is coverage dependent while the second with a maximum peak temperature (Tp) at ca. 630 K is not. The desorption energy, Ed, of the second channel is found to be equal to ca. 150 kJ/mol with a prefactor of 1012 s 1 and a desorption order n = 2. This is attributed to surface ethoxides re-combinative desorption. This second desorption channel is accompanied by the desorption of acetaldehyde (and hydrogen) and ethylene (and water). Acetaldehyde (CH3CHO) desorption, produced by the dehydrogenation of ethoxides, was sensitive to surface coverage. Its Tp changed from 640 K at θ = 0.06 to 610 K at θ = 1, while ethylene (CH2––CH2) desorption Tp, produced by the dehydration of ethoxides did not shift. The molar ratio of these two products (CH3CHO/CH2––CH2) of 0.8 is similar to that previously found on a UO2(1 1 1) single crystal and fits with the U–O bonding nature that contains a non-negligible fraction of covalency.JRC.G.I.5 - Nuclear Science and Innovation for Energy and Healt
Uncertainty Quantification for Severe-Accident reactor modelling: results and conclusions of the MUSA reactor applications work package
No full textThe recently completed Horizon-2020 project “Management and Uncertainties of Severe Accidents (MUSA)” has reviewed uncertainty sources and Uncertainty Quantification methodology for assessing Severe Accidents (SA), and has made a substantial effort at stimulating uncertainty applications in predicting the radiological Source Term of reactor and Spent Fuel Pool accident scenarios. The key motivation of the project has been to bring the advantages of the Best Estimate Plus Uncertainty approach to the field of Severe Accident modelling. With respect to deterministic analyses, expected gains are avoiding adopting conservative assumptions, identifying uncertainty bands of estimates, and gaining insights into dominating uncertain parameters. Also, the benefits for understanding and improving Accident Management were to be explored.
The reactor applications brought together a large group of participants that set out to apply uncertainty analysis (UA) within their field of SA modelling expertise – in particular reactor types, but also SA code used (ASTEC, MELCOR, MAAP, RELAP/SCDAPSIM), uncertainty quantification tools used (DAKOTA, SUSA, URANIE, self-developed tools based on Python code), detailed accident scenarios, and in some cases SAM actions. The setting up of the analyses, challenges faced during that phase, and solutions explored, are described in Brumm et al. ANE 191 (2023).
This paper synthesizes the reactor-application work at the end of the project. Analyses of 23 partners are presented in different categories, depending on whether their main goal is/are (i) uncertainty bands of simulation results; (ii) the understanding of dominating uncertainties in specific sub-models of the SA code; (iii) improving the understanding of specific accident scenarios, with or without the application of SAM actions; or, (iv) a demonstration of the tools used and developed, and of the capability to carry out an uncertainty analysis in the presence of the challenges faced.
A cross-section of the partners’ results is presented and briefly discussed, to provide an overview of the work done, and to encourage accessing and studying the project deliverables that are open to the public. Furthermore, the partners’ experiences made during the project have been evaluated and are presented as good practice recommendations.
The paper ends with conclusions on the level of readiness of UA in SA modelling, on the determination of governing uncertainties, and on the analysis of SAM actions.JRC.G.I.4 - Reactor Safety and Component
Enhancing Cross-Border Risk Assessment for Critical Infrastructure: Challenges, Tools and Recommendations
No full textThe Directive on Resilience of Critical Entities (Directive (EU) 2022/2557) outlines that each Member State (MS) should carry out, within a harmonised framework, an assessment of the relevant natural and man-made risks, as well as those of a cross-sectoral or cross-border nature, that could affect the provision of essential services. The risk assessment by MSs should integrate a wide range of hazards, from accidents, natural disasters and public health emergencies tο hybrid threats or other antagonistic threats, including terrorist offences, criminal infiltration and sabotage (Art. 5). To facilitate the development of a cohesive framework across the EU, this analysis explores the complexities and challenges of conducting cross-border risk assessments for critical infrastructure (CI) and associated critical entities, from a conceptual perspective.JRC.E.2 - Space, Connectivity and Economic Securit