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13 International Comparison Testing, Measurement Issues, and Policy Considerations in a Post–COVID-19 World
No full textPolicy implications stemming from international comparison testing continue to provoke fierce debate across the globe. At the same time, more complex methodological issues stemming from international surveys such as PISA, TIMSS, and PIRLS seem to be relegated to select measurement academic communities. This chapter attempts to bridge this divide by outlining key methodological considerations that public policymakers need to consider before making greater use of these surveys. In particular, we discuss specific survey error components and how different error components stem from the design, collection, processing, and analyses of survey data. Collectively, the review illustrates how the total survey error associated with countries’ educational achievement estimates are likely to be inflated by other errors besides the standard error reported by international survey organisers. The discussion outlines the policy relevance of the surveys’ estimates, measurement considerations for cross-national policy diffusion efforts, and the need to consider important revisions to existing international surveys to enhance the robustness of reported results.JRC.S.3 - Science for Modelling, Monitoring and Evaluatio
Strategic Trade Atlas 2019-2023
No full textA Strategic Trade Atlas was developed to promote understanding of global trade flows of strategic goods, i.e., goods of militarily strategic value, including dual-use goods.
This Atlas provides macroscopic graphical representations of global trade flows classified under Harmonized System (HS) codes associated by the World Customs Organization with strategic commodities.
The profiles provide information rich representations of strategic commodity-related imports and exports classified under these HS codes, based on data originally reported to and made publicly available by the United Nations Statistical Division, then processed to reconcile trade asymmetries by the Centre d'Etudes Prospectives et d'Informations Internationales. This and other high quality, statistically relevant data sources exist, but are largely untapped resources for strategic trade control purposes. Efforts to promote and facilitate use of trade data should enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of strategic trade control efforts.JRC.G.II.7 - Digital Systems for Safeguards and Non-Proliferatio
Detection, Tracking, and Identification of Drones: an Overview on Counter-Uas Techniques, and Open Challenges
No full textWith the proliferation of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UASs), a broad spectrum of legitimate, nuisance, and malicious applications has introduced new challenges for airspace management. A large number of UASs available on the market, and UASs can also be homemade (including being 3D printed), further complicating detection and classification efforts. Traditional traffic control and surveillance systems are facing disruption from UASs proliferation, which enable innovative use cases across various sectors, such as precision agriculture and infrastructure inspection, but also create opportunities for misuse, such as illegal surveillance and contraband delivery. In this evolving landscape, C-UAS technology has emerged as a crucial tool to mitigate the growing risks associated with unauthorized drone usage. To this end, it is critical to understand the capability, limitations and challenges associated to C-UAS research and development efforts related to detection, tracking, and identification of unauthorized UASs in public and critical infrastructures. Given the diverse range of sensors employed in C-UAS systems, such as radar, radiofrequency, electro-optical, and acoustic sensors, and the heterogeneous nature of UASs, this study emphasizes the importance of multi-sensor data fusion to achieve accurate DTI in real-time. The integration of different sensors is key to enhancing system reliability and addressing the complexities of modern airspace. Furthermore, new models and algorithms are necessary to improve target tracking capabilities for UASs. The study presents a taxonomy of sensors used in C-UAS and highlights the need for a comprehensive, integrated approach. It also delves into the challenges of implementing a multi sensor data fusion algorithm, providing a model for sensor fusion in DTI, along with an overview of the current literature and available commercial solutions. By adopting a holistic approach, this study aims to contribute to the advancement of robust, reliable C-UAS systems that can effectively manage the rising threat of unauthorized UASs.JRC.E.4 - Transport and Border Securit
Indicators for monitoring income distribution in the bioeconomy and the food system
Get PDFMonitoring income distribution in the bioeconomy and food system is necessary to understand their contributions to socioeconomic development and inform related policies. This report proposes a set of replicable methodologies for the inclusion of income distribution indicators within the frameworks of the Bioeconomy Monitoring System (BMS) and the EU Food System Monitoring Framework (FSMF). The report develops four indicators to measure income distribution in the bioeconomy and food system sectors, focusing on the functional income distribution. The indicators include the average salary by sector, share of labour income over value added, employee' earnings ratio, and share of value added by sector in the food chain. The report applies these indicators to the EU bioeconomy and food system sectors, revealing significant divergences in income distribution across sectors and Member States.JRC.D.4 - Economics of the Food Syste
Comprehensive assessment of environmental and economic impacts of the entire EU waste management system
No full textThis study presents a comprehensive model that quantifies environmental and economic impacts across the entire EU27 waste management system using Life Cycle
Assessment and Life Cycle Costing. Addressing a crucial gap in official statistics, this model evaluates waste from both collected and generated perspectives, providing insights into the significant portion of waste (approximately 8.5% of collected waste or 171 Mt annually) classified as residual waste. Results demonstrate that assessing waste from both perspectives effectively identifies inefficiencies in collection and treatment systems, revealing critical waste groups and high-impact processes. Although the waste management system as a whole shows net climate benefits, these are mainly related to a limited set of materials recovery (notably metals) and the overall modest savings underscore the need for targeted improvements. Our findings highlight that net impacts on Climate Change are driven mainly by management of mineral waste and biowaste, and the incineration of plastic and textiles misallocated to residual waste, while internal and external costs are highest for mineral waste and biowaste. While current EU policies focus prevalently on plastic and textiles, our findings indicate that biowaste, mineral waste and sludge require renewed attention, with special efforts needed to reduce misallocations of recyclable waste to residual waste. Improving reporting standards, especially to monitor residual waste more accurately, could help identify misallocation patterns. This model offers policymakers a valuable tool for assessing scenarios, investment decisions, and advancing the EU’s circular economy objectives.JRC.B.5 - Circular Economy and Sustainable Industr
JRC MARS Bulletin - Global outlook - Crop monitoring European neighbourhood - Ukraine - June 2025
Get PDFPersistent drier-than-usual weather negatively affected winter cereals in the east, while two cold spells during late spring reduced the yield potential of rapeseed in the west. Elsewhere, predominantly seasonal conditions helped to maintain winter crop yields above the five-year average. Based on remote-sensing-derived area estimates and observed crop conditions, the production outlook for winter cereals is below the five-year average. In contrast, rapeseed production is expected to increase, driven by an expansion in sown area.
A rainfall deficit persisted in the eastern and northernmost oblasts during most of the cropping season, negatively affecting winter cereals. In the western oblasts, late cold spells in spring compromised the flowering and early pod filling of rapeseed. Nonetheless, timely rainfall and below-average temperatures in May were beneficial for the final development stages of winter crops, further supported by a positive weather forecast until the end of June.
Production forecasts for all winter crops and spring barley are slightly below the five-year average with considerable interregional variability. Field abandonment remains evident, particularly in areas close to the front line of the war. However, Sentinel-2 analysis indicates a relatively stable area of winter cereals in the government-controlled areas along with a notable increase in rapeseed area, particularly in the southern oblasts.
The sowing campaign of summer crops is nearing completion, with a reduction observed in the sown area of grain maize and sunflowers, while the soybean area has increased. Early crop development is reported to be fair, with a good water supply in the western regions, but at risk in the east due to the persistent rainfall deficit. Yield forecasts for summer crops are still in line with the five-year average.JRC.D.5 - Food Securit
FISHGLOB: A collaborative infrastructure to bridge the gap between scientific monitoring and marine biodiversity conservation
No full textLarge-scale biodiversity assessments and conservation applications require integrated and up-to-date datasets across regions. In the oceans, monitoring is fragmented, which affects knowledge exchange and usage. Among existing monitoring programs, scientific bottom-trawl surveys (SBTS) are long-term, rich, and well-maintained data sources at the scale of each sampled region, but these data are under-utilized in biodiversity applications, especially across regions. This is hampered by the lack of an international community and database maintained through time. To address this, we created FISHGLOB, an infrastructure gathering SBTS and experts. In 5 years, we developed an integrated database of SBTS and a consortium gathering more than 100 experts and users. Here, we are sharing the project history, achievements, challenges, and outlooks. In particular, we reflect on the infrastructure-building social and technical processes which will guide the development of similar infrastructures. The FISHGLOB project takes ocean monitoring one step forward in working as a unified community across disciplines and regions of the world.JRC.D.6 - Nature Conservation and Observation
Generative AI Outlook Report
Get PDFThis Outlook report, prepared by the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC), examines the transformative role of Generative AI (GenAI) with a specific emphasis on the European Union. It highlights the potential of GenAI for innovation, productivity, and societal change. GenAI is a disruptive technology due to its capability of producing human-like content at an unprecedented scale. As such, it holds multiple opportunities for advancements across various sectors, including healthcare, education, science, and creative industries. At the same time, GenAI also presents significant challenges, including the possibility to amplify misinformation, bias, labour disruption, and privacy concerns. All those issues are cross-cutting and therefore, the rapid development of GenAI requires a multidisciplinary approach to fully understand its implications. Against this context, the Outlook report begins with an overview of the technological aspects of GenAI, detailing their current capabilities and outlining emerging trends. It then focuses on economic implications, examining how GenAI can transform industry dynamics and necessitate adaptation of skills and strategies. The societal impact of GenAI is also addressed, with focus on both the opportunities for inclusivity and the risks of bias and over-reliance. Considering these challenges, the regulatory framework section outlines the EU’s current legislative framework, such as the AI Act and horizontal Data legislation to promote trustworthy and transparent AI practices. Finally, sector-specific ‘deep dives’ examine the opportunities and challenges that GenAI presents. This section underscores the need for careful management and strategic policy interventions to maximize its potential benefits while mitigating the risks. The report concludes that GenAI has the potential to bring significant social and economic impact in the EU, and that a comprehensive and nuanced policy approach is needed to navigate the challenges and opportunities while ensuring that technological developments are fully aligned with democratic values and EU legal framework.JRC.T.1 - Digital Econom
China’s Antimony Export Controls: Risks and Opportunities for the EU
Get PDFOn August 14 2024, China announced new export controls on antimony, representing the latest effort to constrain the global supply of essential minerals under the guise of national security. Antimony is an essential material for defence applications, par-ticularly in the production of armour-piercing rounds, night vision equipment, infrared sensors, ammunition, and precision optics. It is also vital for the electronics sector, used in semiconductors, ca-bling, and battery technologies. This regulation adds to a series of restrictions China has imple-mented throughout 2023 on various critical materi-als, including graphite, germanium, gallium, and ra-re earth processing methods. This brief presents in-depth economic and trade-related analyses aimed at evaluating the impacts for Europe of China's export controls measures on Antimony.JRC.D.3 - Land Resources and Supply Chain Assessment
Economic complexity analytics: country factsheets 2024
Get PDFThe economic complexity framework is inspired by evolutionary and institutional literature. It interprets the economy as an interconnected ecosystem by shifting the focus from aggregate quantities like GDP that reveal how much countries or regions produce to a more granular view revealing what they actually do (e.g. in which products they export or the in which technologies they innovate). This approach leverages high-quality trade and patent data as well as advanced techniques from machine learning, network science, and complex dynamical systems to provide a nuanced understanding of a country's economic sophistication and capabilities.
These factsheets aim to showcase the potential of the economic complexity framework by providing quantitative insights into policy-relevant issues and to illustrate the kind of insights it can offer policymakers regarding the industrial and innovation landscape of Europe. Each factsheet focuses one EU member state and follows a fixed structure comprising six sections, each consisting of a chart and some accompanying text to aid interpretation.
Overall, the factsheets aim to provide a comprehensive overview of the analytical potential of the economic complexity framework, demonstrating its value in informing policy decisions and contributing to economic development. They highlight the importance of understanding the intricate dynamics of industrial and innovation systems to drive strategic economic growth in the EU.JRC.B.6 - Industrial strategy, skills and technology transfe