Ευρωπαϊκή Επιτροπή: Έκδοση Απριλίου 2014 της ενημερωτικής έκδοσης του JRC

The latest edition of the JRC Newsletter has been published and can be downloaded here.
An editorial by Vladimir Šucha, Director General of the JRC since the 1st January 2014, focuses on the JRC's role in the EU's policy making process. While discussing the importance of science-based advice in support of the EU Institutions and Member States throughout the policy cycle, Mr Šucha emphasises the need for scientific excellence and collaboration with the wider research community.

The cover story provides an insight into the JRC’s work on road transport and related topics, including creating European-wide emissions standards and contributing to the "well to wheels study" on the efficiency, costs and greenhouse gas emissions of all automotive fuels. The JRC is also active in meeting the infrastructural needs of increasingly sophisticated road vehicles. Research on e-vehicles includes a JRC-US Government collaboration on interoperability, which aims to ensure innovative vehicles and charging stations are compatible and interact seamlessly through smart grids across international borders. Vehicle safety is another mobility priority for the JRC: testing eCall, a new accident alert system, is underway, while the support – following an upgrade – of the implementation of the tachograph (an anti-fraud and road safety tool) is ongoing.
The Newsletter also reports on a JRC study on EU's poles of excellence in ICT, mapping its intensity: most ICT activity takes place in just 34 out of 1303 analysed EU regions, and ICT excellence is closely clustered, with Paris, London and Munich topping the list.
Further news includes the launch of the Global Flood Partnership, a unique international forum which aims to improve the prediction and management of flood disasters and risks. A recent JRC study on e-health uptake across the EU-28 is also covered - although Nordic countries top the e-health deployment list, the gap is closing between them and other countries, less advanced in the implementation of digital technology in healthcare and health products.