Joint Research Centre - European Commission

A high-level event in Bratislava, co-organised by the European Commission and the Government of the Slovak Republic, today launched six scientific clusters to support economic development in the Danube Region. The six clusters will focus on: water; land & soil; bio-energy; air; data exchange & harmonisation; and smart specialisation.

The European Commission's central platform for disaster response, the Emergency Response Centre (ERC), was inaugurated today in Brussels on the occasion of the Civil Protection Forum, which aims to address the EU's increasing role in disaster management.

This new Centre relies extensively on three JRC platforms used for the forecast and monitoring of floods, fires, humanitarian natural disasters and tsunamis, as well as on the JRC's monitoring and analytical capabilities (ie: flash situation reports, map services…). The JRC also co-ordinates the Copernicus Emergency Mapping Service, which provides accurate geospatial information derived from satellite remote sensing which is completed by available in situ or open data sources.

A recently published article, co-authored by a JRC scientist, explores potential solutions to the increasing competition for scarce global freshwater resources by analysing the water footprint of consumption (WF_cons) for different diets in the EU28 (EU27 and Croatia). The article, published in Ecological Indicators, finds that reducing meat consumption could help make significant water footprint (WF) savings.

The water footprint concept links the use of water resources to the consumption of goods. The EU28 water footprint of consumption is defined as total volume of freshwater that is used to produce the goods consumed by its inhabitants.

Energy-saving efforts in ten new and refurbished buildings in 6 European countries (Austria, Germany, Sweden, Netherlands, Poland, Denmark) have today been recognised with the European Commission's GreenBuilding Awards.

Buildings are responsible for about 40% of total energy consumption in the EU. The average energy savings of 51% achieved by the winners shows that real savings can be made in buildings, towards meeting the EU's targets for energy reduction. The highest energy savings (75%) came from a refurbished Austrian office building (Amtshaus Schlagergass), which installed a newly insulated roof, heat absorption glazed windows and dynamic shading devices.

On Saturday, 4 May 2013, over 10 300 visitors followed the invitation to spend a day dedicated to science exploration and discovered how the European Commission's in-house science service helps to promote growth, jobs and innovation, a healthy and safe environment, consumer protection and secure energy supplies.