What is the EUROMOD-JRC Interface? 

It is an online tool that provides a simplified and user-friendly access to the EUROMOD microsimulation model. It is available here: https://euromod-web.jrc.ec.europa.eu/euromod-jrc-interface  

The current version of the web interface runs on EUROMOD version I4.0+ and simulates the tax-benefit systems in force in 2021 (and other previous years using older versions of the model).  

Who can access the EUROMOD-JRC Interface? 

Since April 2021, the interface is open to any researcher or policy analyst, with the objective of increasing the openness and transparency of EUROMOD and make it accessible to a wider audience. 

How can I register? 

You can register from here. In order to access the EUROMOD-JRC Interface you need an EU Login (formerly ECAS) account; in case you don't have one, you will be able to easily create it during the registration process. 

What can I do with the EUROMOD-JRC Interface? 

The EUROMOD-JRC Interface allows users to simulate non-complex reforms on Personal Income Taxes (PIT) and Social Insurance Contributions (SIC) of the European Union Member States for policy years 2018 - 2021. Policy years 2013 - 2017 are also available in the Archive section, although the simulation options and the results offered are more limited. 

Users can modify most monetary parameters related to PIT and SIC.  

For taxes it is possible to change/add/remove rates and brackets, and to modify amounts and thresholds of allowances and tax credits. 

Regarding allowances and tax credits, the interface offers the possibility of changing amounts and thresholds in six categories: (1) personal, (2) family, (3) work-related, (4) housing, (5) education, and (6) health. Due to data limitations to simulate education and health-related allowances and tax credits, input data for six Member States (Estonia, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta and Portugal) have been modified exclusively for the web interface, in order to include average expenses on education and health at household level imputed from the EU Household Budget Surveys (EU HBS). 

Rates, schedules and thresholds of SIC can be changed for employees, employers and self-employed. 

In addition to the previous, two new functionalities have recently been incorporated: 

• Possibility to choose between EU-SILC input data and Hypothetical data (HHoT), built using the EUROMOD HHoT plugin for policy years 2020 and 2021. 
• Estimation of medium-term impact of policy reforms (including second-round effects), due to changes in wages and employment is available for reforms simulated using EU-SILC input data and policy years 2020 and 2021. 

How does the EUROMOD-JRC Interface work? Does it use the real EUROMOD? 

The EUROMOD-JRC collects the parameters inserted by the user and sends them to the EUROMOD application.  

Then, EUROMOD is run in the server using those parameters. The full tax-benefit rules stored in EUROMOD are used.

Once EUROMOD finishes its execution, the user gets several aggregated indicators summarizing the results of the simulated reform, which are produced using Stata and exported to a Microsoft Excel workbook 

What data is used to run the simulations? 

The input data used to run EUROMOD simulations for policy years 2013 to 2019 is the survey-based microdata from EU Statistics on Income and Living Conditions survey (EU-SILC). For policy years 2020 and 2021, it is possible to choose between EU-SILC input data and Hypothetical data (HHoT), built using the EUROMOD HHoT plugin. 

Do users need to have access to the EU-SILC input data in order to use the EUROMOD-JRC Interface? 

Users don’t need to have access to any data in order to use the EUROMOD-JRC Interface. The EUROMOD-JRC Interface will only provide users with aggregated indicators and users will never have access to the microdata inside the interface. 

What are the differences between the desktop version of the EUROMOD model and the EUROMOD-JRC Interface? 

The EUROMOD-JRC Interface allows users to simulate reforms without prior knowledge of EUROMOD due to its friendliness. 

However, the EUROMOD-JRC Interface only allows users to simulate non-complex reforms on PIT and SIC while the desktop EUROMOD allows performing much more complex reforms by modifying many more parameters. 

Is the EUROMOD-JRC Interface updated very often? 

Yes, the EUROMOD-JRC Interface is frequently updated. The inclusion of benefits in the Interface is also foreseen in the near future. We invite you to visit the EUROMOD-JRC Interface often to discover the new functionalities! 

If you still have questions on the EUROMOD-Interface, please visit the EUROMOD-JRC website where you can access the tool and find much more information or contact us at JRC-EUROMOD-INTERFACE@ec.europa.eu