You can select
Towards the future CAP
The European Commission has today launched a proposal on how to modernise and simplify the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), one of the core policies of the EU.
read moreProtecting Pollinators – the EU Pollinators Initiative
In response to calls by the European Parliament and Member States for action to protect and mitigate the decline of pollinators and their habitats, the European Commission has today adopted a Communication on the first-ever EU initiative on...
read moreCall for participation in an EU-wide monitoring campaign of manure
The JRC is looking for participants to help with its monitoring campaign of manure to help develop criteria for safe processed manure. In order to promote the sustainable recovery of nutrients from manure, it is vital to make a careful evaluation of...
read moreA future the planet can accommodate requires policy change in Finland as well
The United Nations Agenda 2030 puts binding goals on countries for the promotion of sustainable well-being. However, research indicates that Finland cannot achieve these goals because our ecological sustainability deficit is so great. The change can...
read moreMaking sense of the situation in Cape Town
Cape Town has come dangerously close to running out of water after 3 years of persistent drought. Tight water usage restrictions have been successful in stalling 'day zero' - when the city's taps will be turned off - until 2019, buying time for...
read moreCommission proposes new Regulation on using reclaimed water for irrigation
A Commission proposal for a new Regulation on the use of treated water for irrigation has been adopted today.
read moreJRC provides scientific policy support for new Commission proposal on single-use plastics
The JRC provided DG Environment with information on the most common marine litter items found on European beaches to help draft today's new European Commission's proposal for a Directive on the reduction of the impact of certain plastic products on...
read moreWarm April accelerates crop development
According to the May issue of the JRC MARS Crop monitoring Bulletin, which was published today, warm and relatively dry weather in most of Europe boosted crop development and allowed spring sowing to accelerate, but also brought challenges to winter...
read moreScientific support to the third "Europe on the Move" package
On 17 May 2018 the European Commission introduced a package of measures addressing transport safety, connected and automated mobility, and clean mobility.
read moreMicrolitter – a challenge for wastewater treatment plants
Finnish Environment Institute Researcher and M.Sc. Julia Talvitie’s doctoral dissertation indicates that wastewater treatment plants function well overall for microlitter removal. The vast majority (approx. 99%) of microlitter of 20 micrometers is...
read moreLinking the Water-Energy-Food Nexus and Sustainable Development Indicators for the Mediterranean Region
Food production and water provision are are two urgent socio-economic and environmental issues in the Mediterranean region. Because these aspects are closely linked, they need to be tackled by an integrated approach known as Water-Energy-Food (WEF)...
read moreMarine production in north-western Mediterranean could rise due to climate change
JRC scientists find in a recently published paper that significant changes in north-western Mediterranean productivity are likely due to climate change in the coming decades.
read moreClimate change intensifies droughts in Europe
Global warming will exacerbate soil droughts in Europe - droughts will last longer, affect greater areas, and have an impact on more people. If the earth warms by three degrees Celsius, extreme events - such as the drought which struck large parts of...
read moreCold and wet conditions delay spring sowing; winter crops generally faring well
According to the April issue of the JRC MARS Crop monitoring Bulletin, which was published today, in many parts of Europe, unfavourable weather conditions caused delays to the sowing of spring and summer crops. In most cases, there is still time to...
read moreJRC contribution to DG-AGRI short-term outlook
The Short-term outlook for EU agricultural markets in 2018 and 2019, which presents the outlook for 2018-2019 for arable crops and meat and dairy markets in the EU, was published by the European Commission's Directorate-General for Agriculture today.
read moreHow to restore Europe's ecosystems in a cost effective way?
Ecosystems deliver essential goods such as food, energy, raw materials, air and water. They also regulate our climate and provide habitats for pollinators that fertilise our crops. These services are vital to our economy. Ecosystem degradation (due...
read moreGlobal overview of agricultural production hotspots
The latest edition of the monthly Anomaly Hotspots of Agricultural Production (ASAP) Global Overview, which reports on agricultural production of hotspot countries in Southern, East, North and West Africa, the Middle East, Central and South-east...
read moreLand degradation threatens the well-being of people and the planet
The world's first comprehensive evidence-based assessment of land degradation and restoration highlights some sobering facts regarding how worsening land degradation caused by human activities is undermining the well-being of 3.2 billion people (two...
read moreReconnecting Nature and Culture to celebrate the European Year of Cultural Heritage
2018 is the European Year of Cultural Heritage. To mark the occasion, the Joint Research Centre, together with Universita’ La Sapienza in Rome and the Italian Botanical Society, has contributed to the European Commission's initiative “Our heritage:...
read moreBiomass production, supply, uses and flows in the European Union
The JRC has recently published a Science-for-Policy report that quantitatively assesses biomass production, supply, uses and flows in the European Union (EU), and outlines a methodological framework to assess the environmental impacts of biomass...
read moreWorld Water Day: exploring the solutions we find in nature
This year's World Water Day theme is all about finding nature-based answers to the water challenges we face. At the JRC, our research shows how important natural solutions are in managing resources effectively, securing access to clean water and...
read moreGlobal Report on Food Crises finds that in 2017 major famines were averted but food security remains critical
The Global Report on Food Crises, presented on 22 March 2018 in Rome, indicates that major risks of famine were averted in 2017 in the four countries that were declared at risk in early 2017: Yemen, Somalia, South Sudan and North Nigeria.
read moreClimate models predict changes to flows and biota of northern rivers
The habitats of species in Finland's rivers will move northward as climate change causes temperatures to rise. In addition, seasonal fluctuation in the flow of rivers will become more irregular than it is now. Small headwater streams will experience...
read moreHow to measure the condition of Europe's ecosystems?
The recently published fifth MAES (Mapping and Assessment of Ecosystems and their Services) report provides guidance to the EU and its Member States on how to assess the condition (or the state) of Europe's ecosystems.
read moreFrost damage to winter crops remains limited despite end-of-winter cold spell
According to the March issue of the JRC MARS Crop monitoring Bulletin, which was published yesterday, weather conditions have generally been adequate for the wintering and early establishment of winter cereals, despite the unusual weather conditions...
read moreClimate change promotes the spread of mosquito- and tick-borne viruses
Spurred on by climate change, international travel and international trade, disease-bearing insects are spreading to ever-wider parts of the world. This means that more humans are exposed to viral infections such as Dengue fever, Chikungunya, Zika,...
read moreWhat is the status of the Archipelago Sea food web?
In the coming weeks senior research scientist Laura Uusitalo and her collegues interview the local stakeholders and managers about their views of the Archipelago Sea ecosystem and its functioning, and about the aspects of marine nature and associated...
read morePrevention is better than cure: targeted vaccination to halt epidemics
Amidst growing concerns over the low uptake of flu shots in Europe, scientists from the Italian National Research Council and the JRC confirm that vaccinations remain the best way forward when it comes to stopping the spread of infectious diseases.
read moreInternational Women's Day: how our remarkable women got into science
At the JRC, we have been working to improve gender equality in science. Last year, women represented 35% of our staff, 18% of our managers and 50% of our senior managers. International Women's Day is – for us and many others –a reminder that...
read moreSoil carbon sink? It depends also on nitrogen
A study just published by the Joint Research Centre (JRC) in Nature Climate Change shows that soils can be a net sink of greenhouse gases through increased storage of organic carbon.
read more