Report from the Commission - JRC Annual Report - 2003
Date: 2004-05-14
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: Joint Research Centre, activity report

COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES 

Brussels, 14.05.2004 
COM(2004)362 final 

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REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION 

JRC Annual Report - 2003 

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CONTENTS 

1. 

2. 

3. 

4. 

4.1. 

4.2. 

4.3. 

Foreword from the Commissioner for Research.......................................................... 5 

Draft Observations from the Board of Governors........................................................ 6 

Message from the Director-General............................................................................. 8 

Support to Community Policies ................................................................................. 10 

Safety of Chemical Products...................................................................................... 12 

Food Safety ................................................................................................................ 13 

Rapid Reaction to Emergencies ................................................................................. 14 

4.3.1.  Forest Fires................................................................................................................. 14 

4.3.2.  Forecasting the effects of drought on EU crops......................................................... 14 

4.4. 

4.5. 

4.6. 

5. 

5.1. 

5.2. 

5.3. 

5.4. 

5.5. 

6. 

6.1. 

6.2. 

6.3. 

6.4. 

6.5. 

6.6. 

6.7. 

6.8. 

7. 

Safety of Hydrogen as a Transport Fuel .................................................................... 15 

Safety of Eastern Nuclear Reactors............................................................................ 16 

Exploratory Research ................................................................................................. 17 

JRC Excellence Awards............................................................................................. 18 

JRC Young Scientist of the Year - Dr. Dolores Ibarreta............................................ 18 

JRC Young Scientist Prize for Scientific Innovation - Dr. Nicole Erdmann............. 19 

JRC Young Scientist Prize for Major Scientific Contribution to Food Research - Dr. 
Hubert Chassaigne ..................................................................................................... 20 

JRC Scientific Publication Prize – Dr. Yannis Drossinos.......................................... 21 

JRC Technical Assistance Prize - Heinz Stutz & Joachim Küst................................ 22 

2003 Highlights from JRC Institutes.......................................................................... 23 

Structure of the Multi Annual Programme................................................................. 24 

Institute for Reference Materials and Measurements................................................. 26 

Institute for Transuranium Elements.......................................................................... 28 

Institute for Energy .................................................................................................... 30 

Institute for the Protection and Security of the Citizen.............................................. 32 

Institute for Environment and Sustainability ............................................................. 34 

Institute for Health and Consumer Protection............................................................ 36 

Institute for Prospective Technological Studies......................................................... 38 

Support to Enlargement.............................................................................................. 40 

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8. 

9. 

Contribution to the European Research Area............................................................. 41 

Nuclear Facilities Management.................................................................................. 42 

10. 

The JRC in Figures..................................................................................................... 44 

10.1.  Core Staff ................................................................................................................... 44 

10.2.  Visiting staff............................................................................................................... 46 

10.3. 

Institutional budget..................................................................................................... 47 

10.4.  Competitive activities................................................................................................. 48 

10.5. 

2003 Publications ....................................................................................................... 49 

11. 

Appendices................................................................................................................. 50 

11.1.  Board of Governors (status December 2003)............................................................. 50 

11.2. 

JRC Directors ............................................................................................................. 54 

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THE JOINT RESEARCH – MISSION AND STRUCTURE 

MISSION OF THE JRC 

The  mission  of  the  Joint  Research  Centre  is  to  provide  customer-driven  scientific  and 
technical  support  for  the  conception,  development,  implementation  and  monitoring  of 
European Union policies. As a service of the European Commission, the JRC functions 
as  a  reference  centre  of  science  and  technology  for  the  Union.  Close  to  the  policy-
making  process,  it  serves  the  common  interest  of  the  Member  States,  while  being 
independent of special interests, whether private or national.  

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1. 

FOREWORD FROM THE COMMISSIONER FOR RESEARCH 

The Joint Research Centre (JRC) has made many important contributions to supporting 
EU  policies  in  2003,  the  first  year  of  the  Sixth  Framework  Programme.  Increasingly, 
Community  legislation  is  science-based  and  therefore  requires  sound  scientific 
underpinning.  Among  the  examples  described in this report is the support provided to 
the new chemicals policy, particularly with reference to the registration, evaluation and 
authorisation and restriction of chemicals.  

The  nomination  of  the  JRC  as  the  Community  Reference  Laboratory  for  support  to 
GM0 food and feed legislation is a concrete example of how the JRC is contributing to 
the  development  of  scientific  and  reference  systems  to  support  policy-makers.  This  is 
one of the building blocks of the European Research Area (ERA) and a key component 
in  the  JRC's  ERA  Action  Plan.  Such  support  is  not  provided  solely  by  the  JRC  but 
rather through the European Network of GMO laboratories, managed by the JRC.  

Other  key  elements  in  the  JRC  ERA  Action  Plan  include  networking,  enlargement, 
training  and  mobility,  and  increasing  access  to  specialised  facilities.  The  signing  of  a 
collaboration  agreement  between  the  Research  DG  and  JRC's  Institute  of  Prospective 
Technological Studies (IPTS) and the creation  of  a  dedicated ERA unit, is a welcome 
development and highlights the importance I attach to the European Research Area. 

Making a success of enlargement is the major challenge for 2004 and the coming years. 
One of the issues facing the New Member States is the need to comply with the body of 
EU  legislation,  the  'acquis  communitaire'.  Through  a  comprehensive  programme  of 
hosting  scientists,  organising  technical  workshops  and  training  courses,  and  actively 
involving national laboratories from the New Member States in its workprogramme, the 
JRC  has  continued  to  contribute  significantly  to  accelerating  compliance  with  the 
scientific and technical aspects of the acquis. 

I am confident that in 2004 the JRC will continue to play a unique and valued role as the 
Commission's in-house research based policy support organisation. 

Philippe Busquin 

Research Commissioner 

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2. 

DRAFT OBSERVATIONS FROM THE BOARD OF GOVERNORS 

In  2003,  the  new  workprogramme  of  the  JRC  emphasised  delivery  of  scientific  and 
technical  support  to  major  Community  policy  areas  such  as  chemicals,  food  safety, 
health, environment, nuclear security and enlargement. The relevance of JRC's work to 
policies was demonstrated to the Board by interaction with the JRC's High Level User 
Group during the year. 

The  Board  noted  JRC's  compliance  with  the  requirements  of  the  Commission’s 
administrative  reform:  the  Strategic  Planning  and  Programming  (SPP)  cycle  and  the 
Activity  Based  Management  (ABM)  system.  These  systems  were  set  up  to  improve 
transparency, accountability and efficiency through better planning, implementation and 
monitoring of objectives and measurement indicators at every level of the organisation.  

A  restructuring  of  Directorates  was  endorsed  by  the  Board  in  Autumn  2003.  This 
reorganisation  has  the  advantage  of  bringing  the  management  of  resources  and 
workprogramme  into  one  Directorate.  A  separate  Directorate  was  created  to  cover 
institutional  and  scientific  relations.  All  aspects  associated  with  management  and 
logistics of  the Ispra  site  were consolidated into one dedicated Directorate  to improve 
the efficiency and effectiveness of such operations. 

Main Issues in 2003 

The Board has followed the JRC Specific Programmes as carried out by the JRC under 
the obligations of EU Research Framework Programme. One of these requirements is an 
external  expert  evaluation,  the  Five  Year  Assessment  of  the  JRC  covering  the  period 
1999-2003.  The  Board  was  actively  involved  in  defining  and  approving  the  terms  of 
reference  and  in  the  selection  of  the  panel  of  experts.  A  presentation  by  the  panel 
chairman was also made to the Board during the closing stages of the panel visits which 
provided  the  Board  with  first-hand  information  on  the  initial  conclusions  of  the 
assessment. 

The progress made by JRC in contributing to the aims of the European Research Area 
and the targets set in the accompanying implementation plan are being closely followed 
by the Board.  

Board Members and Participants expressed a positive opinion on actions conducted by 
the  JRC  towards  Enlargement.  Technical  support  to  complying  with  EU  legislation, 
partnership in research projects of the Framework Programme, training and opening up 
of  JRC-led  networks  of  competence  were  strongly  acknowledged  as  were  JRC 
information days, dedicated workshops, the network of JRC contact points and specific 
targeted projects. 

The  Board  noted  the  contributions  made  by  the  JRC  during  various  crises,  including 
forecasting of forest fires and the estimation of effects of drought on crop forecasts. The 
Board  also  acknowledged  the  development  of  a  JRC  crisis  response  mechanism  to 
ensure a co-ordinated and professional in-house response on request. 

The Board appreciates the evaluation and granting of excellence awards for JRC young 
scientists and welcomed this year’s inclusion of a technical assistance prize.  

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The JRC strategy for the continued management and exploitation of the Communities' 
intellectual  property  portfolio  was  endorsed  by  the  Board  which  continues  to  follow 
progress  and  results  in  this  area.  The  need  to  communicate  science  and  its  results 
effectively was emphasised by the Board and a revised JRC strategy on public relations 
was produced in response to this request.  

The Board closely followed JRC nuclear decommissioning activities and endorsed the 
transfer of the licence of the High Flux Reactor licence operation to the Dutch Nuclear 
Research and Consultancy Group.  

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3. 

MESSAGE FROM THE DIRECTOR-GENERAL 

In 2003 the JRC made good progress in consolidating its reputation as a research-based 
policy  support  organisation,  capable  of  providing  support  to  a  range  of  Commission 
policies  while  maintaining  a  strong  science  base.  The  new  Multi-Annual 
Workprogramme  of  the  JRC  for  the  Sixth  Framework  Programme,  adopted  in  March 
2003 reflects this user emphasis while also allowing the development of new scientific 
competence in order to meet emerging needs. 

Examples of JRC support are cited throughout this report but I should like to single out 
in  particular  the  input  JRC  provided  to  the  new  chemicals  policy,  jointly  led  by  the 
Commission’s  Environment  and  Enterprise  DGs.  The  designation  of  JRC  as  the 
Community  Reference  Laboratory  for  GMOs  was  a  recognition  of  our  efforts  over  a 
number  of  years  in  establishing  and  leading  the  European  Network  of  GMO 
Laboratories  (ENGL).  The  JRC  has  played  the  role  of  catalyst  in  developing  a  new 
large-scale  collaborative  project  on  envirogenomics  examining 
links  between 
environmental effects and individual susceptibility in childhood asthma. 

The above examples indicate the longer-term nature of JRC support. However, the JRC 
also demonstrated its ability to respond rapidly and professionally to a number of crises. 
These  included  support  provided  to  France  and  Portugal  during  the  forest  fires  of 
summer 2003.  

Much  of  the  work  performed  by  the  JRC  ultimately  supports  the  Member  States,  the 
Council  and  European  Parliament,  and  is  carried  out  in  close  collaboration  with  some 
2000 scientific partners throughout Europe and beyond. In acknowledgement of this, a 
new Directorate was created in late 2003 to focus on JRC's external stakeholders. 

Measuring the relevance of JRC's work to users is important and for this reason the JRC 
conducted its first corporate user satisfaction survey in 2003. This survey targeted both 
internal  (Commission)  and  external  (ministries,  national  authorities,  etc)  users  and 
overall a high degree of satisfaction with the JRC was expressed. A formal assessment 
of JRC's scientific and technical output, the 5 Year Assessment (1999-2003), was also 
performed by an external expert panel and the results will be available in 2004. 

In  carrying  out  its  workprogramme  the  JRC  continued  to  contribute  to  the  European 
Research  Area,  the  major  research  policy  initiative  in  recent  years.  The  need  for 
additional  support  to  this  policy  was  underlined  by  the  signing  of  a  collaboration 
agreement between the Research DG and JRC's Institute of Prospective Technological 
Studies. 

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The JRC is an ideal place to carry out research where scientists can see the relevance 
and  uptake  of  their  work  in  EU  legislation.  The  importance  of  research  training  is 
stressed  at  JRC  and  a  significant  number  of  our  scientists  are  at  early  stages  of  their 
careers. To highlight this, a section of this report has been dedicated to young scientists’ 
awards and a recognition scheme has also been introduced for technical achievement. 

I acknowledge the efforts of all JRC staff, which together with the support of the JRC 
Board  of  Governors  and  Commissioner  Busquin,  have  contributed  much  to  our 
achievements in 2003, and look forward to the challenges of 2004. 

Barry Mc Sweeney 

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4. 

SUPPORT TO COMMUNITY POLICIES 

Examples of support to EU legislation 

As support for Regulations (EC) No 1829/2003 and (EC) No 1830/2003, the JRC was 
appointed  Community  Reference  Laboratory  (CRL)  for  GM  food  and  feed  legislation 
with  the  mandate  to  evaluate  the  fitness  of  methods  for  the  purpose  of  regulatory 
compliance. 

Commission Recommendation C2003/556/EC on guidelines for the coexistence of GM 
and non-GM crops was largely based on JRC work. 

As support for Council Decision 2000/766/EC and Regulation 1774/2002 EC imposing 
a total ban on meat and bone meal as feed ingredients, the JRC co-ordinated an inter-
comparison study with about 50 laboratories. 

To  amend  Regulation  (EEC)  No  3508/92  and  support  the  new  Regulation  for  the 
identification and registration of ovine and caprine animals (sheep and goats), the JRC 
co-ordinated a large-scale field test. 

In  formulating  Commission  Proposal  COM(2003)644  final  (for  the  Registration, 
Evaluation and Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals - REACH), the JRC played 
a key role – more details on pages 6 and 30. 

As  support  for  Commission  Directive  93/67/EEC  on  risk  assessment  for  new  notified 
substances,  Commission  Regulation  (EC)  No  1488/94  on  risk  assessment  for  existing 
substances  and  Directive  98/8/EC  of  the  European  Parliament  and  of  the  Council 
concerning  the  placing  of  biocidal  products  on  the  market,  the  JRC  finalised  and 
published the “Technical Guidance Document of risk assessment” 

Revisions  of  the  Seveso  II  Directive  96/82/EC  for  the  prevention  of  major-accident 
hazards  involving  dangerous  substances  were  substantially  guided  by  the  results  of 
focused expert workshops organised by the JRC. 

The JRC supported Directive 2003/42/EC related to the European Co-ordination Centre 
for Aviation Incident Reporting Systems on occurrence reporting in civil aviation. This 
was formally adopted by the European Parliament and Council on 13 June 2003. 

As support to Commission Decision 1999/847/EC (Community Action Programme on 
Civil  Protection),  the  JRC’s  European  Flood  Alert  System  provided  successful  flood 
warnings for the Ebro (Spain), Iskar (Bulgaria), Upper Oder and Vistula basins (Poland 
and Czech Republic), Siret River (Rumania) and Sicily. 

As  support  to  Commission  Proposal  COM(2002)404  for  a  new  Regulation  on 
“monitoring of forests and environmental interactions in the community”, the JRC has 
been appointed to the Scientific Co-ordination Body. 

Commission Communication COM(2003)354 final entitled “On the Road to Sustainable 
Production Progress in implementing Council Directive 96/61/EC concerning integrated 
Pollution Prevention and Control”, refers to the JRC work as “a key driver for improved 
environmental performance”. 

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To prepare for the Commission Communication COM(2003)250, the JRC provided data 
to  the  Environment  DG  in  the  area  of  energy  recovery  from  waste,  published  with  a 
view for possible revision of the Waste Framework Directive 75/442/EEC. 

As  support  for  the  Water  Framework  Directive  COM(1997)49,  the  JRC  co-led  the 
Common  Implementation  Strategy  Working  Group  on  ‘Ecological  Status  and  Inter-
calibration’ 

In  signing  the  US-led  international  charter  C(2003)1911/1  on  “Carbon  Sequestration 
Leadership  Forum  (CSLF)”,  the  JRC  supported  the  formulation  of  the  Commission’s 
position. 

The JRC supported Commission Communications COM(2002)179 and COM(2002)539 
on  the  “Thematic  Strategies  on  Soil  Protection  and  on  the  Marine  Environment”  by 
participating in the respective working groups. 

The  JRC  supported  the  Commission  Communication  COM(2003)17  on  the  emerging 
European  Space  Policy,  building  on  its  contributions  to  the  Global  Monitoring  for 
Environment and Security (GMES) Initiative 

As support for Commission Communication COM(2001)245 entitled the “Clean Air for 
Europe initiative”, the JRC organised and implemented a model intercomparison study 
and  provided  forecasts  of  ozone  and  particulate  matter  concentrations  for  2010  in 
various European cities. 

For Directive Proposal COM (2003)453 on establishing a framework for the setting of 
Eco-Design  requirements  for  Energy-Using  Products,  the  JRC  provided  input  data  for 
the assessment of the potential energy and carbon savings resulting from the efficiency 
requirements in different types of end-use devices. 

For  Directive  Proposal  COM(2003)739  on  Energy  End-Use  Efficiency  and  Energy 
Services, the JRC explored the present market and policy situation for Energy Service 
Companies  and  provided  input  to  other  measures  proposed  in  the  directive  such  as, 
energy  efficiency  certificates,  demand  response,  advanced  meters  and  informative 
billing. 

As  support  to  Commission  Communication  COM(2002)263  on  the  eEurope  2005 
Action Plan, the JRC presented the draft pilot exercise on the “composite indicator of e-
business readiness” at a meeting between Eurostat, and the Enterprise and Information 
Society DGs. 

Commission  Communication  COM(2003)265  final  was  the  first  report  on  the 
implementation of the data protection Directive 95/46/EC and refers to the JRC report 
entitled "future bottlenecks in the information society". 

Commission Communication COM(2003)301 entitled “Towards a thematic strategy on 
the  prevention  and  recycling  of  waste”,  specifically  referred  to  the  JRC  “Pay  as  you 
Throw” project. 

As  support  for  the  implementation  of  Directive  96/61/EC  on  “Integrated  Pollution 
Prevention and Control”, the JRC provided data for waste incineration and reviewed the 
draft  document.  The  definition  of  the  best  available  techniques  (BAT),  through  the 
drafting of the “BAT Reference Documents (BREFs)”, is handled by the JRC. 

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4.1. 

Safety of Chemical Products 

In  October  2003,  the  European  Commission  proposed  new  legislation  for  the 
Registration,  Evaluation  and  Authorisation  of  CHemicals  (REACH)  to  enhance  health 
and  environmental  protection  while  promoting  innovation  and  competitiveness  of  the 
European chemicals industry. The JRC has co-ordinated the EU notification scheme and 
risk assessment for new chemical substances and, with its know-how in data collection, 
priority setting and risk assessment, will help develop the guidance documents, software 
tools and infrastructure for REACH. 

The  JRC  European  Chemicals  Bureau  (ECB)  is  the  focal  point  for  collecting 
information  on  new  and  existing  chemicals.  In  2003,  350  new  substances  were 
classified,  30  risk  assessment  reports  on  existing  substances  were  produced  and  5 
testing  methods  were  developed.  The  ECB  also  established  the  European  Chemical 
Substances  Information  System,  which  now  openly  offers  a  single  search  tool  on 
chemicals and associated legislation. 

According  to  REACH,  about  20,000  substances  will  be  tested.  If  relying  solely  on 
traditional risk assessment methods to obtain chemicals data, this would involve testing 
of several million laboratory animals. At the JRC's European Centre for the Validation 
of Alternative Methods (ECVAM), methods are being validated that aim to reduce the 
need  for  animal  testing  and  yet  enhance  the  throughput  of  testing  and  costs.  Likewise 
the  implementation  of  the  7th  Amendment  to  the  Cosmetics  Directive  calls  for  the 
validation of methods replacing animal testing for cosmetic ingredients. Responding to 
these needs, ECVAM has focused on key areas targeting those animal tests that need to 
be replaced. A report produced by the JRC in 2003 estimates that the direct testing costs 
resulting from the implementation of REACH can be reduced by more than 900 million 
€  if  Quantitative  Structure-Activity  Relationships  ((Q)SARS)  are  used.  These  are 
theoretical  models  able 
the  physicochemical  and  biological  (e.g. 
toxicological)  properties  of  molecules  from  knowledge  of  their  chemical  structure.  In 
light  of  this,  ECVAM  has  started  to  validate,  together  with  the  OECD,  the  most 
promising of some 3000 computer models and programmes.  

to  predict 

Human  exposure  data,  essential  for  the  implementation  of  REACH,  are  scarcely 
available at present. In order to assess the total human exposure to substances emitted 
from  products  and  articles,  the  JRC  has  completed  a  range  of  experiments  using  its 
unique  “Indoortron”  facility.  Experiments  were  carried  out  to  identify  additives  and 
pesticides  in  tobacco  products  and  further  studies  indicated  that  changes  in  the 
ventilation  rate  during  tobacco  smoking  do  not  significantly  influence  the  air 
concentration levels of smoke constituents such as CO, NOx and aromatic compounds.  

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4.2. 

Food Safety  

The  JRC  provides  scientific  and  technical  support  for  the  establishment  and 
implementation of EU food and feed legislation. It does this by developing, harmonising 
and validating analytical methods to monitor various chemical, physical and biological 
parameters. It includes the production and certification of Certified Reference Materials 
and proficiency testing materials to support EU food and feed legislation eg. maximum 
levels  for  contaminants,  withdrawals  of  authorisations  concerning  various  additives, 
food labelling (nutritional properties) and antifraud measures (food authenticity). Some 
selected highlights from 2003 include:  

Acrylamide 

The  presence  of  acrylamide,  formed  by  heating  of  carbohydrate-rich  food  (e.g.  french 
fries)  and  classified  as  a  probable  human  carcinogen,  has  led  to  a  worldwide 
surveillance of this compound in various food products. To support the standardisation 
of  acrylamide  measurements,  the  JRC  validates  methods,  produces  certified  reference 
materials  and  maintains  an  “acrylamide  monitoring”  database.  An  first  interlaboratory 
test  on  the  determination  of  acrylamide  in  crisp  bread  and  in  butter  cookies  was 
organised  in  2003  to  check  laboratories’  performance  and  identify  potential  problems 
associated with the methods applied. 

The Community Reference Laboratory for Feed Additives 

The new regulation ((EC) 1831/2003) on additives for use in animal nutrition requires 
all such additives to be authorised according to a new procedure. Whilst this process is 
handled by the European Food Safety Authority, from November 2004 the JRC, in its 
capacity as Community Reference Laboratory, will assume responsibility for storage of 
the reference samples and the analytical methods proposed by the applicants.  

Transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSE)  

As  support  to  the  Health  and  Consumer  Protection  DG  for  the  implementation  of  EU 
legislation  on  TSE,  the  evaluation  of  newly  developed  post-mortem  TSE  tests,  the 
quality  assurance  of  rapid  TSE  tests  and  performance  testing  have  all  been  actively 
continued  in  2003.  As  the  ban  on  Meat  and  Bone  Meal  (MBM)  in  food/feed  is 
important to TSE, the JRC conducted a proficiency test which revealed that the ban can 
be  enforced  only  by  using  microscopy  –  all  other  methods  showed  very  poor  results. 
This JRC study also showed, in order to fine-tune the MBM ban, that there is a strong 
need for methods that allow for animal specific detection. 

Mercury in Tuna Fish 

A  species-specific  methyl-mercury  (CH3-Hg)  spike  isotopic  reference  material  was 
produced  (IRMM-670;  isotopic  enrichment  of  about  98  %  in  202Hg).  A  measurement 
procedure  was  developed,  extensive  stability  tests  were  performed  and  the  new  spike 
was used to certify the content of methyl-mercury in a tuna fish sample. 

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4.3. 

Rapid Reaction to Emergencies 

4.3.1.  Forest Fires  

The  summer  of  2003  was  one  of  the  hottest  summers  in  Europe.  Temperatures 
exceeding  40  degrees  contributed  to  some  of  the  worst  forest  fires  ever  seen.  In 
Portugal, the government declared a state of natural emergency as some 20 people lost 
their lives and vast areas of forest were destroyed by fire.  

Figures derived from satellite observations by the JRC indicate that some 355,976 ha of 
land had been burnt in Portugal by 20 August 2003. By 15 September 2003, this figure 
had  increased  to  379,038  ha.  These  figures  show  that  almost  6%  of  the  forest  area  in 
Portugal  was  damaged  which  is  equivalent  to  the  total  annual  burnt  area  of  all  5  EU 
Mediterranean countries in recent years. 

Until recently, fire risk calculations were performed at local level but now, thanks to the 
European  Forest  Information  Centre  (EFFIS)  established  by  the  Environment  DG  and 
the  JRC,  a  coherent  forest  fire  information  system  exists  for  Europe.  All  fire  risk 
forecast maps computed by EFFIS are distributed every morning via internet to the civil 
protection and forest fire services in the Member States, as well as to the civil protection 
services of the Environment DG.  

The  JRC  will  continue  supporting  the  Environment  DG,  Member  State  experts  and 
national  authorities,  to  develop  and  apply  appropriate  terrestrial  and  satellite  data-
collection and visualisation tools as well as modelling systems for prevention, damage 
assessment and post-crisis analysis.  

4.3.2.  Forecasting the effects of drought on EU crops 

To parallel the record temperatures, 2003 also saw the worst drought in Europe for more 
than a quarter of a century. The JRC used its advanced crop yield forecasting system to 
predict the effects of the unrelenting drought on this year’s harvest in the EU – a useful 
prerequisite for agricultural planning and decision making. JRC  crop-yield forecasting 
combines  agro-meteorological  models  and  satellite  indicators  supporting  the  needs  of 
the Agriculture DG for detailed information on Europe’s planted areas, crop yields and 
production volumes.  

The JRC provides quantitative forecasts, producing objective, timely and accurate crop-
yield assessments. Yields are calculated bi-monthly and the main cereals (wheat, barley, 
maize),  oil  seeds  (rapeseed,  sunflower),  sugar  beet  and  potato  are  published  for  the 
entire European continent, North Africa and Turkey.  

The expected drop in EU main crop yields ranged from about 6% for potatoes to 25% 
for  sunflowers.  The  loss  in  wheat  production  was  approximately  10  million  tonnes 
compared with the previous agricultural campaign (the UK's wheat yield was predicted 
to be down by 10%) with a drop of about 4 million tonnes for grain maize.  

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4.4. 

Safety of Hydrogen as a Transport Fuel 

Reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and improvement in security of energy supply 
has motivated considerable interest in alternative fuels for road transport in the EU. The 
most recent Commission initiative to promote hydrogen as a future energy carrier is the 
“European  Hydrogen  Technology  Platform”,  which  aims  at  accelerating 
the 
development  and  deployment  of  hydrogen  and  fuel  cell  technologies  in  Europe. 
Although hydrogen is one of the most promising alternative fuels, significant research 
and  development  is  still  needed  before  it  can  be  exploited  in  the  same  way  as  petrol, 
diesel or hydrocarbon gases. Hydrogen performance, end-use efficiency and safety must 
all be assured before mass use becomes possible. The JRC is engaged in this Platform 
initiative  and  part  of  its  hydrogen-related  activities  focuses  on  safety,  risks  evaluation 
and performance assessment of hydrogen storage and transportation systems.  

In  2003,  the  JRC  issued  a  comprehensive  report  on  safe  technologies  for  hydrogen 
storage  and  organised  a  dedicated  workshop  for  Acceding  Countries  on  the  “Safety, 
efficiency  and  performance  of  innovative  hydrogen  storage  technologies  for  road 
transport”.  Specific  test  facilities  for  hydrogen  storage  are  currently  being  installed, 
including a full-scale vehicle tank testing to assess hydrogen high-pressure cycling and 
permeation (for gas storage studies) and a set of complementary test facilities to assess 
the storage efficiency of hydrides and carbon structures (for solid-state storage studies). 
In this field, the JRC collaborates in the “Safety of Hydrogen as an Energy Carrier” and 
“Hydrogen  Systems  for  Automotive  Applications”  networks  and  is  partner  with  the 
International Energy Agency (IEA). 

JRC  efforts  focus  on  harmonising  test  methods  and  providing  technical  and  scientific 
support  for  the  development  of  safety  standards,  and  best  practices  guidelines  for 
industry-wide  standardisation.  The  experimental  efforts  are  complemented  by 
simulation  techniques  to  study  the  consequences  of  hydrogen  explosions  following  a 
severe  accident  and 
to  define  effective  countermeasures.  The  Commission 
Communication  on  alternative  fuels  of  November  2001  suggests  a  hydrogen 
development scenario of 2% road transport fuel market share in 2015 and 5% in 2020. 
This JRC work contributes to enabling the implementation of these policy goals. 

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4.5. 

Safety of Eastern Nuclear Reactors 

In  the  Commonwealth  of  Independent  States  (CIS)  and  the  Central  and  Eastern 
European Countries (CEEC), 61 nuclear power reactors of Soviet design are presently 
operating with a capacity of 47 electric giga watts. However, by 2007, 75% of current 
Soviet designed nuclear power plants will be over 20 years old. Thus, support towards 
continuous monitoring, surveillance and research is vital to ensure that safety standards 
are maintained. 

With  over  40  years  experience  in  the  field,  the  JRC  is  engaged  in  plant  management 
studies of ageing nuclear installations and in improving safety assessment methods for 
critical damage mechanisms. Topics covered apply to both Eastern and Western reactor 
designs. Via JRC networks, operated within a JRC project called SAFELIFE, subjects 
addressed range from the assessment of reactor pressure vessels, studying residual stress 
fields  on  welds,  risk-informed  inspection  procedures,  thermal  fatigue,  to  advanced 
irradiation studies and optimisation of maintenance procedures. 

In 2003, extended analysis of all available pressurised water reactor vessel surveillance 
data was continued and research into the provision of new materials (e.g. model steels) 
have been carried out. A reference base metal was characterised with the International 
Atomic  Energy  Agency,  corrosion  studies  of  reactor  core  irradiated  internals 
commenced,  and  the  Safety  of  Eastern  European  Nuclear  Facilities  network  steering 
committee arranged the signature of a collaboration agreement by 9 organisations, 7 of 
which are from CEEC  and  CIS.  The  JRC  has also launched a new TACIS (Technical 
Assistance to the Commonwealth of Independent States) project that aims to provide the 
Russian  and  Ukrainian  nuclear  power  operators  with  conclusions  on  demonstrated 
safety  margins  and  remaining  expected  lifetimes.  The  JRC  analyses  the  thermal  and 
mechanical behaviour of Soviet designed Pressurised Water Reactor fuel rods. Through 
the  JRC  Enlargement  action, 
training  workshops  were  organised  on  neutron 
embrittlement and nuclear safety. 

The  JRC  provides  technical  and  scientific  expertise  in  all  areas  of  the  PHARE  and 
TACIS  nuclear  safety  programmes  devoted  to  the  improvement  of  nuclear  facility 
safety  in  CEEC  and  CIS.  This  work  contributes  to  one  of  the  key  challenges  for  the 
enlarged Europe – the establishment of an affordable, sufficient and safe energy supply 
for European citizens.  

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4.6. 

Exploratory Research 

Exploratory research at the JRC helps to anticipate S&T needs, or to chart new paths for 
undertaking projects designed to support complex future policy issues. Some 6% of the 
JRC's budget is devoted to exploratory research and the example given here is dedicated 
to nanobiotechnology. 

Nanobiotechnology 

Nanobiotechnology is an emerging area of scientific and technological opportunity that 
integrates  nano/microfabrication  and  biosystems.  Major  applications  in  the  field  of 
health  are  related  to  biosensors,  protein  chips,  cell  on  a  chip,  and  in  vivo  monitoring. 
For  example,  medical  devices  such  as  heart  pacemakers,  artificial  joints,  scaffolds  for 
tissue engineering and stents used to dilate clogged blood vessels can provoke a variety 
of biological effects such as irritation, inflammation, blood clotting and encapsulation. 
The  JRC  is  working  to  alleviate  these  problems  by  developing  functional  surfaces  at 
micro and nano scale that interact with biological systems to trigger responses such as 
increasing user comfort, healing and safety.  

The  JRC  is  currently  developing  interfaces  between  biological  and  non-biological 
systems with specific activity allowing controlled biological responses. Such precisely 
engineered surfaces must be designed and constructed at the nano or molecular level.  

It  is  hoped  that  this  research  will  lead  to  the  development  of  a  new  generation  of 
biosensors  and  biochips  and  these  will  be  used,  for  instance,  in  health  and 
environmental  monitoring,  food  analysis  and/or  toxicology  studies.  The  production  of 
polymer  surfaces  with  a  controlled  level  of  chemical  functional  groups  (e.g.  amine, 
carboxyl,  thiol,  etc)  with  micro  and  nano  patterns  is  developed  to  study  the  effect  of 
morphological and chemical patterning on protein adsorption and activity. At the same 
time,  protein  adsorption  studies  on,  for  example,  antibodies,  enzymes  or  peptides  are 
made  in  conjunction  with  optical  and  electrical  end  point  detection,  in  order  to  apply 
these developments to biosensors. 

Networking forms an integral part of JRC’s research and although nanobiotechnology in 
its  infancy,  the  JRC  is  involved  with  over  80  partners  from  both  EU  and  Acceding 
Countries thereby keeping pace with current developments, evolving technologies and 
future perspectives in this area.  

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5. 

JRC EXCELLENCE AWARDS 

The JRC Excellence Awards were initiated in 2002 to recognise the achievements and 
contributions of JRC staff, and in particular those of young scientists. In addition to the 
three young scientists described on the following pages, awards were also given for the 
best scientific publication and for technical assistance.  

5.1. 

JRC Young Scientist of the Year - Dr. Dolores Ibarreta 

Genetic testing is used to identify DNA sequence alterations that correlate with disease 
or  possible  disease  development.  As  such,  it  can  predict  the  future  onset  of  (severe) 
disorders  not  only  for  the  patient  but  also  for  the  patient’s  relatives.  The  information 
obtained from genetic tests, namely DNA sequence, remains constant and thus genetic 
testing  results  can  have  far-reaching  consequences  on  an  individual’s  life.  These  facts 
alone  render  the  quality  assurance  of  genetic  testing  services  an  issue  of  utmost 
importance.  

As  part  of  its  prospective  role,  the  JRC  already  identified  genetic  testing  as  a  service 
requiring  quality  assurance  back  in  1999.  Dolores  and  her  colleagues  then  started 
working  on  the  issue  and  collaborated  with  the  Research  DG  in  carrying  out  a 
prospective study on genetic testing services in Europe. This JRC study, which aimed to 
provide support for a Europe-wide consistency in quality, safety and efficacy standards 
of genetic testing for common and rare diseases, was completed in 2003.  

The study showed, notwithstanding Europe’s renowned expertise in this area, the poor 
state of quality assessment practices in the EU. It identifies shortcomings and proposes 
measures  to  ensure  the  highest  quality  of  such  services,  thereby  providing  a  good 
foundation  to  begin.  In  fact,  the  JRC  co-ordinated  an  “expression  of  interest”  in  June 
2002, bringing together the main stakeholders in the field. This was not only positively 
evaluated  but  was  also  transposed  into  a  priority  line  for  a  genetic  testing  reference 
system for the second call in the Sixth Framework Programme. The proposal, now co-
ordinated by one of the main centres promoting quality of genetic testing in Europe, was 
presented in November 2003 with attendance from top scientific experts in the EU. 

Furthermore in an EC/OECD joint colloquium with several international bodies (WHO, 
Council  of  Europe,  etc)  when  aiming  to  create  an  international  exchange  platform  to 
pave the way towards a common framework to guarantee the quality of the increasingly 
used  genetic  diagnostic  services,  Dolores’  study  served  as  the  main  background 
discussion  material.  It  is  available  via  the  publication  reference  “Towards  quality 
assurance  and  harmonisation  of  genetic  testing services  in  EU  Ibarreta  D,  Bock  A.K., 
Rodriguez-Cerezo,  E.  ESTO  Report,  Joint  Research  Centre,  European  Commission, 
EUR 20977 EN, 2003”. 

Dolores  studied  biology  at  the  University  of  Maryland,  doing  undergraduate  research  at  the  National  Cancer 
Institute (NCI-NIH), US. She obtained a Ph.D. in Genetics from the Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Spain and 
the  experimental  research  work  was  carried  out  at  the  Centro  de  Investigaciones  Biologicas  (CIB-CSIC),  also  in 
Madrid. As a postdoctoral fellow, she worked at Georgetown University Medical Centre in the USA, focussing on the 
molecular pathology of Alzheimer's disease. In 1999, she moved away from the lab bench to desk-based research and 
at JRC she focused on the analysis of the impacts of new biotechnologies on the human health sector. 

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5.2. 

JRC Young Scientist Prize for Scientific Innovation - Dr. Nicole Erdmann 

International  governmental  organisations  for  the  control  of  nuclear  material  have 
implemented new and more stringent safeguards programmes to strengthen and improve 
compliance  checks  of  nuclear  facilities  and  detection  checks  of  undeclared  nuclear 
activities.  

A  release  of  radioactive  material  often  results  in  the  formation  of  small  particles 
consisting  of  uranium  oxide  matrix  containing  trace  amounts  of  plutonium  and 
americium.  The  analysis  of  such  single  particles  can  enable  one  to  deduce  the  origin, 
age  and  history  of  the  material.  However,  the  standard  technique  for  analysing  such 
particles, secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS), suffers from isobaric interferences 
(238U/238Pu,  241Am/241Pu).  For  example,  measurements  of  238Pu  are  affected  by  the 
presence of 238U and vice versa. For this reason, resonance ionisation mass spectroscopy 
(RIMS)  in  combination  with  “ion  gun  sputtering”  was  suggested  to  overcome  the 
problem.  

A  RIMS  feasibility  study  was  performed  in  collaboration  with  the  universities  of 
Münster,  Mainz  (Germany)  and  Leuven  in  Belgium  and  the  results1  demonstrated  an 
increase in detection efficiency of two orders of magnitude for uranium particles as well 
as  enhanced  selectivity  and  sensitivity.  Today  the  realisation  of  a  RIMS  facility  is 
planned at the University of Mainz, Germany in collaboration with the JRC.  

Nicole graduated in 1994 from the University of Mainz, Germany, with a degree in physics and went on to complete her Ph.D. at the 
Institute of Nuclear Chemistry of Mainz University in 1998. She worked in the JRC both as grant-holder and research scientist until 
2003 and today she is working at Mainz University as a research scientist. 

1 

*  N.  Erdmann,  M.  Betti,  F.  Kollmer,  A.  Benninghoven,  C.  Grüning,  V.  Philipsen,  P. 
Lievens, R.E. Silverans, E. Vandeweert. Resonant and non-resonant laser ionization of 
sputtered  uranium  atoms  from  thin  films  and  single  micro-particles:  Evaluation  of  a 
combined  system  for  trace  and  particle  analysis.  Anal.  Chem.  75  (13),  3175  - 
3181 (2003). 

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5.3. 

JRC  Young  Scientist  Prize  for  Major  Scientific  Contribution  to  Food 
Research - Dr. Hubert Chassaigne 

Selenium is an essential, yet toxic, element and an average human requires an intake of 
between 50 and 200 micrograms per day. This narrow concentration range demands an 
in-depth understanding of this element’s speciation.  

Selenised  yeast  is  used  as  a  food  supplement  to  help  regulate  selenium  intake  and 
several  producers  are  now  supplying  the  European  market.  However,  little  or  no 
information is given concerning the chemical forms of the minerals likely to be present 
in such supplements.  

Thus the JRC is now developing a methodological approach to carrying out a feasibility 
study  for  selenium  speciation  in  a  yeast  material.  In  2003,  a  sequential  extraction 
procedure  was  set  up  to  assess  the  solubility  of  dietary  Se  in  yeast  material.  An 
analytical  approach  for  low-molecular  weight  Se  species  was  chosen  and  a  novel 
integrated approach was proposed for the analysis of intact proteins. This consisted of 
three  components:  (1)  two-dimensional  gel  electrophoresis  for  proteins,  (2)  laser 
ablation-based  technique  for  Se  detection  and  (3)  protein  characterisation  by  mass 
spectrometry.  

These results2 will help pave the way towards the speciation of selenium and selenium-
containing proteins in a yeast candidate reference material.  

Hubert  graduated  in  analytical  chemistry  from  the  University  of  Bordeaux  (France)  in  1996,  completed  his  Ph.D.  in  1999  and 
joined the JRC as a research fellow from 2001-2003. Since September 2003, Hubert is working as a research scientist at the JRC 

2 

H.  Chassaigne,  C.C.  Chery,  G.  Bordin,  A.R.  Rodriguez.  2-Dimensional  gel 
electrophoresis technique for yeast selenium-containing proteins - Sample preparation 
and  MS  approaches  for  processing  2-D  gel  protein  spots  Journal  of  Analytical  Atomic 
Spectrometry, 2004, 19(1), 85-95. 

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5.4. 

JRC Scientific Publication Prize – Dr. Yannis Drossinos 

Recent  interest  in  aerosol  particles  derives  partly  from  increasing  evidence  of  adverse 
effects on human health and from their influence on the earth's climate. A process called 
homogeneous  nucleation  governs  the  formation  of  nanoparticles  in  engine  emissions, 
thereby contributing to the high concentration of ultrafine particles emitted by modern 
low-mass  emission  engines.  By  comparison,  ice  nucleation  in  supercooled  water 
droplets  is  the  controlling  mechanism  for  the  formation  of  high  clouds  in  the  upper 
troposphere.  

Classical  nucleation  theory  is  the  most  frequently  used  theory  to  calculate  nucleation 
rates.  However  one  limitation  is  the  implicit  assumption  of  a  stationary  nucleating 
droplet,  an  assumption  that  leads  to  the  so-called  “translation-rotation”  paradox.  The 
publication  addresses  this  inconsistency  and  proposes  a  resolution  of  the  paradox  by 
deriving a consistent correction to the classical theory. The correction is shown to be a 
consequence  of  translational  invariance  of  the  nucleating  droplet  and  the  approach 
adopted is based on an application of quantum mechanical considerations developed in 
studies of Bose-Einstein condensation.  

The  resulting  modified  classical  nucleation  theory  has  applications  in  modeling 
nanoparticle  emissions  from  modern  car  engines,  an  area  of  considerable  concern  for 
possible  environmental  and  health  impacts,  and  in  urban  air  quality  models. 
Environmental  applications  include  its  use  to  describe  the  formation  of  cloud 
condensation  nuclei  in  the  atmosphere  -  an  essential  ingredient  when  estimating  the 
indirect aerosol effect on climate. 

Yannis graduated from Yale University, obtained a Masters degree in mathematics from Columbia University, completed his Ph.D. 
in chemical physics at Harvard University and joined the JRC in 1990. 

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5.5. 

JRC Technical Assistance Prize - Heinz Stutz & Joachim Küst 

The  JRC,  in  focusing  on  the  safety  of  nuclear  fuel,  performs  microstructural  level 
research on the mechanical and chemical interactions of the fuel at various stages. This 
requires  the  characterisation  of  irradiated  fuels  and  recently  a  new  programme  for 
characterising lattice structure variations of high burn-up fuel has been initiated.  

For such analyses, fine X-ray beam is the preferred tool and up to now, the X-ray beam 
concentrator has applied a lead-glass capillary. The 2003 JRC technical prize has been 
awarded to H.-M. Stutz and J. Küst for their contribution towards the development of a 
new  type  of  X-ray  beam  concentrator  called  the  “metallic  iris  capillary”.  The  new 
device,  which  was  conceived,  fabricated  and  tested  at  the  JRC,  has  significant 
advantages over the conventional lead-glass capillary. It can be used for high-resolution 
X-ray techniques, such as micro-diffraction, spectroscopy, small-angle X-ray scattering, 
etc.  

The metallic iris capillary, presently being patented, will have potential applications in 
the  fields  of  lithography,  synchrotron  radiation,  metal  purification  and  even  medical 
procedures. Already two prototypes have been specially designed for use at the Belgian 
Nuclear Centre and with this new and innovative system, the structural characterisation 
of different nuclear and non-nuclear thin interface materials will also be possible. 

Heinz joined the JRC in 1974, has a strong background in the development of equipment and glove boxes for laboratories and hot 
cells and is head of one of the JRC technical workshops.  

Joachim, with a background in craftsmanship and mechanical engineering, joined the JRC in February 2002 and is deputy head of 
the same workshop as Heinz. 

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6. 

2003 HIGHLIGHTS FROM JRC INSTITUTES  

The  JRC  Multi-Annual  Work  Programme  (2003-2006),  adopted  on  20  March  2003 
(Commission Decision C(2003)819), consists of four core areas, namely: 

(1) Food, chemical products and health; 

(2) Environment and sustainability; 

(3) Nuclear safety and security; and  

(4)  Horizontal  activities:  technology  foresight,  reference  materials  and  measurements 
and public security and antifraud.  

The  activities  within  these  core  areas,  selected  to  represent  the  best  match  between 
policy needs and JRC competencies, are categorised according to Integrated Scientific 
Areas (ISAs) and on the following page, the ISA breakdown per Institute is shown. The 
ISA  structure  was  developed  for  the  Sixth  Framework  Programme  (FP6)  such  that 
activities are shared between the Institutes, aiming at enhancing the cohesion and focus 
of the JRC.  

This chapter of the report contains a brief overview of activities that have taken place in 
2003  at  each  of  the  7  JRC  Institutes.  For  example,  extracts  will  reveal  breakthroughs 
ranging  from  the  determination  of  natural  toxins  (patulin)  to  the  transmutation  of 
radioactive iodine (129I). The latest progress on fishing vessel detection is documented 
and an insight to support for nuclear reactor safety is given. The JRC’s role from vehicle 
emissions and genetically modified organisms to prospective technological studies will 
also feature in the following pages.  

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6.1. 

Structure of the Multi Annual Programme 

Structure  of  the  Multi  Annual  Work  Programme  -  Integrated  Scientific 
Areas 

1. Food, Chemical Products and Health  

Safety and quality of food and feed  

Food chain: from agriculture to consumer protection  

GMOs in food, feed, seeds and the environment  

Assessment of Chemicals and Exposure  

Alternative methods to animal testing  

Technologies for Biomedical Applications  

Health  and  Environment:  addressing  exposure  via  human  envirogenomics  

2. Environment and Sustainability  

Air quality and environmental radioactivity  

Water quality and aquatic ecosystems  

Soils and waste management  

Land resources 

Integration of sustainability into other policy areas 

Climate change: the Kyoto protocol and beyond  

Monitoring and assessing ecosystem sustainability  

The Sustainable Energy Technologies Reference & Information System  

Renewable  energies  and  advanced  energy  conversion 

technologies  

3. Nuclear Safety and Security (EURATOM Programme) 

Management of spent fuel and of radioactive waste 

Nuclear Security (safeguards and non proliferation)  

Reactor and Nuclear fuel Safety 

Radiation Monitoring  

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Basic Actinide Research  

4. Horizontal Activities  

Technology Foresight in other JRC priorities  

Cross-cutting techno-economic foresight 

Statistical methods for analysis of economic indicators  

Reference materials and methods in other JRC priorities  

BCR and industrial certified reference materials  

Metrology in Chemistry and Radionuclide Metrology  

Metrology in Physics: Neutron Data Measurements  

Antifraud and monitoring compliance with EU regulations in selected policies  

Support to cybersecurity  

Technological and natural risks  

Contribution to Commission objectives in humanitarian aid and assistance  

Promotion  of  innovation,  technology  transfer  and  management  of  intellectual 
property rights  

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6.2. 

Institute for Reference Materials and Measurements  

In  recent  years  the  JRC  Institute  for  Reference  Materials  and  Measurements  (IRMM) 
has  actively  focused  its  research  to  support  EU  policies  with  the  latest  prioritising  of 
activities resulting in the consolidation of five research areas:  

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

food and feed quality and safety 

reference  materials,  with  special  emphasis  on  matrix  reference  materials  and 
bio-analysis 

chemical reference measurements 

radionuclide metrology, and 

neutron physics. 

In  2003  IRMM  was  designated  the  JRC  Centre  for  Food  and  Feed  related  research 
activities.  To  take  charge  of  this  new  function  the  Institute’s  analytical  chemists  and 
food scientists were brought together in a new unit. Synergy was also increased in the 
field  of  reference  measurements  by  merging  metrology  activities  of  the  Institute  into 
one  single  unit  focusing  on  premium  quality  reference  measurements  of  stable  and 
radioactive isotopes. 

The following examples give a cross section of activities at IRMM in 2003: 

Determination of natural toxins 

IRMM  organised  a  collaborative  trial  to  provide  evidence  that  patulin,  a  toxin  often 
found in apple products, can be reliably determined at levels lower than 10.0 µg/kg in 
clear apple juice and fruit puree. These results now make it possible to set the maximum 
limit  for  patulin,  in  products  intended  for  infant  consumption,  at  a  lower  value  than 
previously possible (draft amending Regulation (EC) No. 466/2001). 

3rd generation of reference materials for genetically modified organisms 

For the implementation and control of the current labelling regulation (Regulation (EC) 
No.  49/2000)  for  genetically  modified  organisms  (GMOs)  in  foodstuff,  GM  maize 
powder  reference  materials  for  the  detection  of  Bt-11  and  Bt-176  maize  have  been 
certified  and  released  for  distribution.  These  were  produced  by  a  new  dry-mixing 
technique developed at IRMM that helps to avoid degradation of DNA in the production 
process.  

From the Bureau Communautaire de Référence (BCR) to the European Reference 
Materials Initiative (ERM®) 

IRMM is one of the world’s largest producers of certified reference materials and since 
2003  manages  the  production  and  distribution  of  both  BCR  and  IRMM  reference 
materials.  In  October  2003,  an  ERM  initiative  was  launched  together  with  the 
Bundesanstalt  für  Materialprüfung  (BAM,  DE)  and  LGC  Limited  (UK)  bringing 
together the largest reference materials producers in Europe. The new ERM® trademark 

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will  be  a  guarantee  of  high  quality  and  will  only  be  granted  for  reference  materials 
which have successfully passed a peer evaluation and have been produced according to 
the principles described in ISO Guides 34 and 35.  

Focussing metrology applications in support of EU policies 

IRMM  organised  a  measurement  evaluation  programme  for  EU  national  reference 
laboratories  measuring  the  lead  and  mercury  content  in  fish  (Directive  2001/22/EC). 
This  inter-laboratory  comparison  enabled  the  laboratories  to  demonstrate  their 
measurement  capability  especially  in  view  of  compliance  with  ISO/IEC  17025  –  the 
standard for testing and calibration laboratories. 

Ultra-low level radioactivity measurements 

In  its  underground  laboratory  at  Belgian  Nuclear  Centre  in  Mol,  IRMM  measured  the 
activity of 60Co in steel plates taken from roofs of buildings directly exposed to neutrons 
from  the  atomic  bomb  explosion  in  Hiroshima.  Current  knowledge  of  the  effects  of 
ionising  radiation  on  human  beings  is,  to  a  large  extent,  based  on  the  follow-up  of 
Hiroshima and Nagasaki victims. There are, however, discrepancies between the model 
calculations and  60Co activity measurements and the set of data produced at IRMM is 
the first set that fully supports the most recent model - the Dosimetry System 2002. 

New knowledge and data in neutron physics 

Measurements  at  the  Institute’s  Van  de  Graaff  laboratory  have  improved  the 
understanding of how 60Co is produced by irradiating nickel in stainless steel with high-
energy  neutrons.  These  data  are  crucial  for  radiation  damage  calculations  for  the 
structural  parts  of  accelerator  driven  systems,  fusion  reactors  and  spallation  neutron 
sources.  

Furthermore,  experimental  data  on  decay  properties  above  the  shape-isomeric  ground 
state in 239U via the 238U(n, γ)-reaction was measured for the first time ever and the data 
were entered in the international reference database. 

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6.3. 

Institute for Transuranium Elements  

In  October  2003,  ITU  celebrated  its  40th  anniversary  with  a  scientific  agenda  that 
involved  numerous  invited  speakers,  including  Commissioner  Busquin.  This  occasion 
gave ITU the chance to look back over 40 years of technical development in the nuclear 
field - the speciality of ITU. This perspective showed how much ITU remained loyal to 
its  original  nuclear  mandate  on  the  one  hand,  but  also  how  it  diversified  over  four 
decades, on the other. Some core programmes from the early days still remain such as 
the  ability  to  fabricate  nuclear  fuel  and  to  examine  irradiated  fuel  in  our  hot  cells,  a 
capability in considerable demand by the nuclear industry.  

Major thrusts include the characterisation of spent fuel and attempts to understand the 
complex  processes  that  would  result  in  the  release  of  nuclides  from  long-term 
repositories. At the same time, to reduce the long-term radiotoxicity of spent fuel, ITU 
is  working  on  both  separation  and  possible  transmutation  scenarios.  Particularly  good 
progress  was  made  this  year  in  both  the  liquid-liquid  and  molten-salt  separation 
technologies. 

Safeguards 

In terms of newer activities, there has been considerable progress in "Safeguards R&D", 
aimed at building technologies and methodologies to prevent the misuse or diversion of 
nuclear materials. Closely allied to this has been the continued progress in the relatively 
new field called "nuclear forensics", which aims to track down the origins and possible 
intended use of nuclear material smuggled out of facilities. The study of radioactivity in 
the  environment  continued,  especially  looking  at  particles  and  being  able  to  analyse 
their content and possible origin. For the first time, plutonium containing particles have 
been separated in sediment samples and detected via their characteristic X-rays, using 
the synchrotron source (ANKA) at the Research Centre (FZK) in Karlsruhe. 

Actinide research and waste transmutation 

In basic research, important progress was made in understanding the superconductivity 
of Am metal and the new ternary systems, such as PuCoGa5. In June 2003, ITU hosted 
the  second  school  with  some  70  participants,  30  of  them  coming  from  the  Acceding 
Countries. The Actinide User Laboratory entered its second year of full operation and, 
in addition to many visitors, four workshops on topics of interest to the community were 
hosted. 

Laser transmutation studies continued this year with the successful demonstration of the 
transmutation  of  the  important  fission  product  iodine  (129I)  by  an  intense  laser  pulse. 
This  demonstration  took  place  at  both  the  University  of  Jena  (DE)  and  Rutherford 
Appleton Laboratory (UK). 

Medical Applications 

Another example of ITU diversification is the alpha-immunotherapy programme, using 
the isotope  213Bi. In this area, important new work was started on trying to understand 
the exact processes by which radiation, such as the alpha particles, destroys malignant 
cells. A collaboration between the University Hospital Düsseldorf, the German Cancer 

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Research Centre, and ITU entered into stage I clinical trials for alpha-particle treatment 
of blood-borne cancer. 

Working towards Enlargement 

An  important  theme  in  2003  was  Enlargement  and  providing  services  to  scientific 
organisations  in  the  Acceding  and  Candidate  Countries.  ITU  accepted  this  challenge 
with enthusiasm and had a large number of workshops to show for it. For example, two 
workshops  were  held  on  the  “Nuclides  Training”,  two  on  “Radioactivity  in  the 
Environment”, and a TRANSURANUS user meeting convened. The TRANSURANUS 
code  system  describes  and  combines  interacting  phenomena  by  accounting  for  all 
relevant  thermal,  mechanical  and  isotopic  properties  of  nuclear  fuel  –  most  of  which 
change  during  reactor  operation  or  long-term  storage.  The  code  is  supported  by  a 
comprehensive  verification  database.  Finally  many  missions  of  ITU  staff  to  the 
Acceding Countries, and visa-versa, provided further attest to the vitality of this link for 
the future of the enlarging Union.  

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6.4. 

Institute for Energy  

In  2003  the  Institute  for  Energy  (IE)  promoted  increased  interaction  with  customer 
services  of  the  European  Commission  and  continued  to  establish  partnerships  with 
world-leaders  in  the  energy  field..  Through  its  experience  in  co-ordinating  and 
participating in networks, IE demonstrated that energy research activities are successful 
if developed in symbiosis between industrial efficiency and sustainable development. 

In addition to progress documented in the sections “Safety of Eastern Nuclear Reactors” 
and “Safety of Hydrogen as a Transport Fuel”, some additional highlights are described 
below. 

Ageing  of  Materials  under  the  effect  of  Load  and  Irradiation-Assisted  stress-
corrosion cracking 

irradiation 
Stress  corrosion  cracking,  with  possible  enhancement  by  neutron 
mechanisms, affecting LWR core internals is still not properly understood, despite large 
international programmes mainly based on post-irradiation tests. 

In 2003, IE acquired a new rig consisting of an autoclave with fracture toughness testing 
equipment  and  a  water  chemistry  preparation  loop.  The  autoclave  is  equipped  with  a 
pneumatic loading device for bending tests of mini and standard toughness specimens, 
whose limited dimensions can make it suitable also for future special applications fitting 
into a High Flux Reactor irradiation capsule.  

If successful, this option would constitute the only rig in the world able to perform such 
fracture  toughness  tests  on  small  specimens,  complementing  results  obtained  using 
other  rigs  designed  to  carry  out  tensile,  fatigue  of  fracture  toughness  on  larger 
specimens.  

Safety of new reactor systems 

the  assembly  of  2  fuel 

IE, with a clear focus on safety, supports R&D efforts related to new reactor concepts 
and  started 
the  associated 
instrumentation  in  the  area  of  High  Temperature  Reactors  (HTR).  An  additional 
irradiation  set-up  was  adapted  to  the  needs  of  a  Generation  IV  reactor  system. 
Experiments will start in 2004. The facilities for material tests were prepared and made 
operational, the HTR fuel database was updated, maintained and equipped with a user 
interface.  

irradiation  facilities  and 

First exploratory research results on HTR fuel reprocessing were obtained and will be 
patented. IE also participated in project definition for new systems. The safety of a Pb-
Bi and gas-cooled accelerator driven systems (ADS) and gas-cooled fast reactors were 
analysed  and  via  networking,  IE  contributed  extensively  to  the  organisation  of 
international conferences. 

Fuel Cell systems performance Testing & Standardisation 

The  main  goal  of  the  Fuel  Cell  Testing  &  Standardisation  (FCTEST)  Action  is  to 
initiate a Commission Reference System in the sector, through the creation of a JRC-IE 
testing facility and the operation of the FCTEST Network. This action is geared towards 

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integrating European research activities. Furthermore, work on mathematical modelling 
of the physical laws pertinent to fuel cells and providing numerical simulation tools to 
support future testing activities was carried out. 

Sustainable Energy Technologies 

IE’s  Sustainable  Energy  Technologies  Reference  and  Information  System  (SETRIS) 
programme provided a techno-economic study entitled “Controlling Carbon Emissions: 
the  option  of  Carbon  Sequestration”,  which  substantially  contributed  to  the  EU 
common  position  paper  on  carbon  sequestration.  This  study  served  as  a  scientific-
technical  platform  to  support  the  Commission  in  defining  its  position  for  the  Carbon 
Sequestration Leadership Forum partnership - a US-led initiative.  

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6.5. 

Institute for the Protection and Security of the Citizen 

In  addition  to  the  highlights  on  crop  forecasting  and  the  impact  analysis  of  the  Israeli 
Wall on Palestinian settlements, IPSC successes for 2003 include the rapidly expanding 
use  of  the  Europe  Media  Monitor  (EMM),  contributions  to  the  amendment  of  the 
Seveso  II  directives,  the  installation  of  the  design  information  verification  system  at 
Rokkasho  reprocessing  plant  in  Japan  and  finally  the  demonstration  of  near  real-time 
tracking of fishing vessels in the Baltic sea.  

Europe Media Monitor (EMM) 

The  primary  objective  of  EMM  is  to  provide  Commission  services  with  targeted 
intelligence  culled  from  the  Internet  and  other  electronic  sources.  The  Press  and 
Communication  DG  has  based  their  future  media  monitoring  strategy  for  EU-25  on 
EMM.  The  Health  and  Consumer  Protection  DG  has  commissioned  a  Medical 
Information  System  derived  from  EMM.  The  External  Relations  DG  and  the 
Humanitarian  Aid  Office  have  both  requested  news  services  covering  each  country  of 
the world. Most services have set up policy specific alerts and correspondingly receive 
SMS messages. EMM is coupled to JRC research into new semantic processing of web 
pages  and  new  statistical  trend  analysis.  The  alert  system  exploits  a  JRC  developed 
parallel  state  algorithm  for  identifying  keywords  across  multi-lingual  texts.  It  can 
process the full text of any article against 8,000 keywords from 350 subjects in just 100 
msec.  No  other  system  achieves  the  same  real  time  performance.  In  tests,  EMM 
outperforms Google, Yahoo and Lexis Nexis, detecting new stories up to 3 hours before 
the others. 

Revision of the Seveso II Directive 

On 10 September 2003, an agreement was reached in conciliation on the first revision of 
the Seveso II Directive 96/82/EC on the control of hazardous substances. The coverage 
of  chemical  and  thermal  processing  operations  in  mining  and  operational  tailings 
management  facilities,  the  tightened  scope  with  regard  to  explosive  and  pyrotechnic 
substances and ammonium nitrate following the Enschede and Toulouse accidents, and 
reinforced  land-use  planning  provisions  were  substantially  guided  by  the  results  of 
focused  expert  workshops  held  by  IPSC's  Major  Accident  Hazards  Bureau  (MAHB). 
The  amendment's  provisions  on  land-use  planning  include  a  mandate  for  the 
Commission to develop a European database to be used for assessing the compatibility 
between Seveso establishments and sensitive areas, an activity that is being led by the 
IPSC.  

Design Information Verification System 

For  non-proliferation  and  nuclear  safeguards  work,  a  Design  Information  Verification 
System was developed for the IAEA and installed at the Rokkasho Reprocessing Plant 
(RRP).  The  system  consists  of  a  laser  range  scanner  with  JRC  software  for  the 
acquisition,  processing  and  analysis  of  the  3D  data.  Demonstration,  training  and  in-
field-testing  were  successfully  accomplished  and  ten  RRP  hotcells,  prior  to  closure, 
were scanned and reference models built for further use.  

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Automatic supply of vessel detection results 

On 16 June 2003, the project on Fishing Vessel Detection Systems (VDS) achieved the 
first  fully  automatic  supply  of  vessel  detection  results,  based  upon  an  algorithm 
developed by IPSC, using near real-time SAR (Synthetic Aperture Radar) data. Results 
were  e-mailed  to  Fishing  Monitoring  Centres,  39  minutes  after  the  RADARSAT 
ScanSar  acquisition.  Such  efficient  image  transfer  and  processing  allows  the 
combination  and  collaboration  between  space-based  observation  and  local  coast-guard 
interventions to, for example, intercept illegal fishing vessels. 

Other  highlights,  not  reported  above,  were  the  approval  of  the  Council  regulation  on 
electronic labeling of caprine and ovine species, which was based upon JRC's work. A 
full-size testing of a vehicular bridge beam-deck made of advanced composite materials 
at  the  European  Laboratory  for  Structural  Assessment  (ELSA)  was  performed  for  the 
Spanish Ministry for industry and infrastructure. Other successes include the successful 
conclusion  of  the  CTOSE  (Cyber  Tools  for  Online  search  for  Evidence)  project  on 
collecting  and  securing  electronic  evidence  that  is  reliable  and  admissible  in 
international  contexts.Support  was  given  to  the  International  Atomic  Energy  Agency 
(IAEA)  on  the  improvement  of  technical  measures  to  detect  and  respond  to  illicit 
trafficking of nuclear material and other radioactive materials. To conclude workshops 
were  convened  with  the  Economic  and  Financial  Affairs  DG,  the  European  Central 
Bank  and  the  OECD  on  business  cycle  analysis  and  econometric  tools  for  short-term 
analysis. 

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6.6. 

Institute for Environment and Sustainability  

The IES offers a blend of expertise and competence from the environmental sciences to 
the field of Earth observation. The Institute is at the forefront of providing scientific and 
technological support to the Commission Directorates and Services (e.g. Environment, 
Energy and Transport DGs) dealing with environmental issues. IES’ activities combine 
short-term technical projects with longer-term strategic research in a work programme 
which  supports  more  than  30  EU  regulations,  strategies  (including  the  EU  thematic 
strategies) and communications in the fields of Global Change, Emissions, Air quality 
and Health, Water, Terrestrial and Natural Resources and Renewable Energies. 

The  IES  provides  scientific  support  by  networking  with  the  best  partners  in  Europe 
including those from Acceding States and Candidate Countries. IES establishes highly 
acclaimed  experimental  facilities  and  laboratories,  (e.g.  the  European  Reference 
Laboratory for Air Pollution and the European Solar Testing Installation) and produces 
European and global reference data sets (e.g., Global Land Cover and the European Soil 
database).  

Supporting the European Marine Strategy 

The  oceans  play  a  vital  role  in  the  ecological  and  climatic  balance  of  our  planet  and 
policies  are  needed  to  manage  the  conflicting  needs  of  protecting  the  marine 
environment  and  exploiting  its  natural  resources.  JRC  work  supporting  the  European 
Marine  Strategy  includes  the  application  of  integrated  environmental  observation 
systems, both at sea and from space. IES developed remote sensing techniques provide 
key information on bio-geo-chemical marine processes, such as those related to coastal 
eutrophication.  

Optical space observations, duly calibrated by ground measurements, are used to assess 
the  distribution  and  abundance  of  marine  biomass  and  primary  productivity  in  the 
European  Seas  and  the  World’s  Oceans.  This  contributes  to  a  better  understanding  of 
ecological relations in the oceans, eutrophication of coastal waters and enclosed seas as 
well  as  of  the  oceans’  role  in  absorbing  atmospheric  CO2  and  thus  in  regulating  the 
Earth’s climate.  

Support to the Kyoto Protocol 

The European Commission is at the forefront of international efforts to mitigate climate 
change and aims to continually improve the monitoring and reporting of greenhouse gas 
emissions  in  Europe.  In  2003,  a  pilot  study  with  six  Member  States  on  how  to 
harmonise  methodologies  for  carbon  sink  estimates  was  completed,  and  investments 
were made in new methods to measure the carbon sink. 

Given the trend of global warming, it was discovered how a carbon sink might become 
an unwanted source. EU-wide methodologies were developed to estimate emissions of 
methane based on atmospheric measurements and EUROSTAT statistics. Furthermore, 
IES’  ability  to  evaluate  alternative  post-Kyoto  climate  change  mitigation  policies  was 
enhanced by improving the understanding of regional and global pollution by ozone and 
particulate matter. 

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Vehicle Emissions – EURO-V and EURO-III 

JRC  is  acknowledged  as  a  scientific  reference  centre  for  the  development  and 
harmonisation  of  vehicle  and  engine  emission  standards.  In  2003,  as  support  to 
policymaking, several hundred tests with cars and motorbikes were performed in JRC’s 
Vehicle Emission Laboratories (VELA). On initiative of the co-ordinator of the Particle 
Measurement  Programme  (UK  Ministry  of  Transport),  JRC  was  invited  to  act  as 
scientific co-ordinator of laboratory inter-comparison exercise to test new measurement 
methods for particle emissions from passenger cars and light duty vehicles (EURO V). 
The  2003  highlight  event  was  the  International  Conference  on  Future  Worldwide 
Emission  Requirements  for  Passenger  Cars  and  Light  Duty  Vehicles  and  EURO  V 
which  was  organised  by  JRC  and  supported  by  the  Environment  and  Energy  and 
Transport DGs.  

Support to EU Strategy for Soil Protection 

Concern  over  European  soil  quality  and  the  depletion  of  soil  resources  led  the 
Commission, in 2003, to outline the first steps in a strategy to protect our soils. The goal 
is to place soil protection on a par with cleaning up our water and air. To support the 
Soil Protection Strategy, the JRC, through collaboration with the European Soil Bureau 
Network  and  other  partners,  has  developed  an  improved  and  harmonised  knowledge 
base  on  soil  properties.  This  database  was  expanded  (1:1,000,000)  to  include  data  for 
Acceding  and  Candidate  Countries,  the  Russian  Federation,  Ukraine  and  Belarus  with 
the  aim  to  develop  a  coherent  information  system  for  reporting  on  the  conditions  of 
European soils. 

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6.7. 

Institute for Health and Consumer Protection 

Implementation the EU policy on GMOs 

During  2003,  the  European  Commission  strengthened  its  framework  for  GMO 
legislation by issuing two new regulations, one which deals with GM food and feed and 
the other with traceability and labelling.  

The  IHCP  Biotechnology  and  GMO  Unit,  established  in  November  2002,  attained 
increased responsibility in its support work to the implementation of the EU policy on 
GMOs.  In  relation  to  the  GM  food  and  feed  legislation,  it  has  been  appointed 
“Community Reference Laboratory (CRL)” with the mandate to evaluate if methods are 
fit  for  the  purpose  of  regulatory  compliance.  The  European  Network  of  GMO 
Laboratories (ENGL) will assist in the execution of this demanding task. The European 
Network of GMO laboratories, which is managed and chaired by IHCP, consists of 46 
official  members  from  EU  countries  and  of observers  from  Accession Countries. This 
nomination as CRL – the first ever in the JRC – is assigned to the IHCP, recognising its 
key-role in GMO testing.  

The IHCP is also responsible for collecting all summary notifications of deliberate field 
crop  trials  (SNIF)  in  the  EU  and  of  summaries  and  risk  assessment  files  of  dossiers 
submitted for marketing approval. This information is publicly available and allows the 
submission  of  comments.  As  an  extension  of  this  work,  the  Unit  has  also  been 
nominated EU focal point for the “Biosafety Clearing House” as part of the Cartagena 
protocol, which entered into force in September 2003. 

Supporting the registration, evaluation, authorisation and restriction of chemicals 
(REACH) 

The  European  Centre  for  the  Validation  of  Alternative  Methods  (ECVAM)  has 
responded to the needs set out by the REACH system by focusing on the replacement of 
those  animal  experiments  with  the  highest  usage  of  laboratory  animals.  ECVAM 
successfully  validated  two  methods  on  drugs/biologicals  that  have  been  introduced  by 
the  European  Pharmacopoeia.  Another  benchmark  for  ECVAM  in  2003  was  the 
completion of a validation study for six pyrogen tests which would eliminate the need to 
use  animals  for  such  tests  in  the  future.  ECVAM  also  participated  in  a  successful 
proposal for an Integrated Project on reproductive toxicology. This new project involves 
a consortium of 35 international research groups and a budget of 12 million €. 

An accurate evaluation of the overall health risk for European citizens requires relevant 
human exposure data, which are very scarce at present. Responding to these needs, the 
IHCP develops and studies concepts to validate and harmonise methods and models to 
assess  the  potential  relationships  between  chronic  low  and  high  dose  exposures  to 
environmental stressors (including chemicals and physical agents) from different routes 
(ingestion, inhalation, skin contact) and the health effects caused by such stressors. The 
assessment of human exposure also includes toxicogenomic approaches.  

A series of studies to identify and quantify chemical substances emitted from products 
large-scale 
and  articles  were  performed  using 
environmental  chamber  -  and  a  list  of  priority  pollutants  occurring  indoors  was 
established.  On  request  of  the  Health  and  Consumer  Protection  DG,  a  Pan-European 

the  “Indoortron”  facility  -  a 

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R&D  platform  and  Information/Reference  System  on  “Risks  from  Chemicals  in 
Products” and on the “Development/Harmonisation of Testing Methods” was launched.  

Activities supporting REACH are also addressed in the “Safety of Chemicals” section 
of this report. 

Training and ERA Research at the IHCP cyclotron 

The IHCP runs a cyclotron to stimulate collaborative research for the  enhancement of 
patient access to nuclear medicine. It hosts the first radioisotope production facility that 
will  sell  FDG  in  Italy,  and  fulfils  the  requirement  to  have  a  well-distributed 
radiopharmaceutical  production  network  ensuring  equal  access  of  EU  citizens  to 
Positron  Emission  Tomography  as  a  vital  medical  imaging  technology.  It  also  hosts  a 
Marie  Curie  Training  Site 
'Research  Training  in  Biomaterials  Testing  Using 
Radiotracers'  which  aims  at  providing  high-level  interdisciplinary  doctoral  training  in 
testing of biomaterials using radiotracers. 

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6.8. 

Institute for Prospective Technological Studies 

IPTS continued to support the European policy-making process in its competence areas, 
anticipating  needs,  providing  techno-economic  analysis,  impact  assessment  and  direct 
support to policy implementation. The Institute’s achievements in 2003 spanned a broad 
range  of  policy  areas,  including  industry,  agriculture,  health,  environment,  energy, 
transport and the information and communication sector. 

Energy and environment 

Prominent among IPTS achievements was support to the Commission’s guidelines for 
Policy Impact Assessment and to the Environmental Technologies Action Plan (ETAP). 
IPTS  work  on  environmental  regulations  and  their  impact  on  innovation  provided 
background  for  support  to  the  Commission’s  impact  assessment  on  the  EU  chemicals 
policy.  

Work in the area of energy and climate change supported the Commission’s policy on 
emission  trading  and  the  United  Nations  Framework  Convention  on  Climate  Change 
negotiation  rounds.  A  support  agreement  was  signed  between  IPTS  and  the  European 
Environment  Agency  (EEA)  to  provide  long  term  energy/emission  scenarios  for  the 
forthcoming  EEA  “State-of-the-Environment  report”.  IPTS  also  provided  input  to  the 
World  Energy  Technology  Outlook  (WETO)  Report  presented  by  Commissioner 
Busquin in June. 

The  European  Integrated  Pollution,  Prevention  and  Control  (IPPC)  Bureau  at  IPTS 
continued  to  play  a  key  role  in  implementing  the  1996  EU  Directive  on  pollution 
control,  with  the  launch  of  the  last  of  a  total  of  32  “Best  Available  Technologies 
Reference  Documents  (BREFs)”.  The  two  years  of  work  that  go  into  these 
internationally-recognised  reference  documents  brings  together  industrial  experts, 
Member  States’  representatives  and  environmental  Non  Governmental  Organisations 
(NGOs).  In  areas  like  refineries,  slaughterhouses,  large  combustion  plants  and  waste 
management, IPTS sees itself catalysing contacts between services of the Commission, 
each dealing with crucial aspects of regulations and structuring the daily lives of many 
European businesses. 

GM0s and genetic testing 

Substantial input was given to the development of the Commission’s policy on the co-
existence of conventional and GM-plants, and to the Commission’s Guidance document 
for the “Development of National Strategies and Best Practices in this area”. In follow-
up  of  a  long-term  commitment  on  Genetic  testing,  IPTS  co-organised  (with  the 
Research  DG  and  the  OECD)  a  major  workshop  on  policy  options  and  challenges 
within this rapidly developing field.  

Information society 

IPTS’ FISTE (Foresight in Information Society Technologies in Europe) action aimed 
at reconciling supply and demand aspects. Among its main achievement were studies on 
the development of the Information Society in Candidate Countries and support to the 
Information Society DG’s high-level advisory groups. 

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Enlargement 

The  IPTS  Enlargement  activities  concentrated  on  Scenarios  for  potential  future 
developments  of  certain  structural  indicators  of  the  Lisbon  process.  Reports  were 
delivered  to  the  "Foresight  in  the  Enlarged  European  Research  and  Innovation  Area" 
conference  in  May  in  Ioannina  co-organised  with  the  Research  DG  and  the  Hellenic 
Presidency of the EU, and to a conference co-organised with the European University 
Institute in Florence in November under the Italian Presidency. 

Implementing the European Research Area 

A major collaborative agreement between the Research DG and the JRC was signed in 
October for longer-term support to the construction of the European Research Area. The 
aim is to provide strategic intelligence services on S&T policies to the implementation 
of the action plan aimed at increasing investment in European R&D to 3 % of GDP by 
2010, and to establishing a European Area for Science and Technology Foresight. 

Support to the European Parliament  

IPTS  continued  to  provide  support  on  request  of  the  European  Parliament.  In  March, 
Commissioner  Busquin  presented  the  IPTS  study  on  Employment  impacts  of 
technology innovation, and in July the Institutes delivered to the EP’s LIBE Committee 
a report on “Security and Privacy for the Citizen in the Post-September 11 Digital Age: 
A  Prospective  Overview”.  This  study  has  augmented  the  IPTS’  prospective  work  on 
Cybersecurity, an area of joint endeavour with JRC sister-institute IPSC.  

European Science and Technology Observatory (ESTO) 

Within  the  ESTO  Network,  IPTS  managed  the  close  collaboration  with  more  than  40 
research institutions all over Europe and a General Assembly was held in June.  

IPTS was also particularly successful in competitive activities with 18 proposals funded 
of the 22 (84% success rate) submitted for the sixth Framework Programme. 

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7. 

SUPPORT TO ENLARGEMENT 

The  2003  JRC  Enlargement  action  deals  with  the  scientific  and  technical  aspects 
underpinning  EU  legislation  in  the  fields  of  environment,  health,  food,  renewable 
energy,  chemicals,  agriculture  and  nuclear  safety.  The  work  has  been  aimed  at 
accelerating the uptake of the 'acquis communataire', the body of EU legislation which 
the  new  Member  States  must  adopt  and  implement.  A  network  of  JRC  “National 
Contact  Points”,  scientific  attachés  and  participants  in  the  JRC  Board  of  Governors 
from 13 Acceding and Candidate Countries are providing direct input to the definition, 
monitoring and implementation of the JRC Enlargement Action. Some of the highlights 
from 2003 are described below: 

Some  1000  experts  from  the  Candidate  Countries  participated  in  72  workshops  and 
advanced training courses on S&T aspects of EU policies 

JRC organised 15 information events in 10 Enlargement countries. Some 2500 mostly 
senior 
industrial  and  public 
level 
administration domains. 

representatives  attended 

from  academic, 

JRC invited 22 journalists from Enlargement countries to a dedicated workshop in Ispra 
and 39 press articles on JRC-related topics were published. 

112  researchers  from  the  enlargement  countries  worked  at  the  JRC  Institutes  under 
employment  contracts  as  seconded  National  experts,  visiting  scientists  or  research 
fellows. A recruitment call for an additional 70 posts yielded 380 eligible applications.  

Of 230 FP6 proposals submitted by the JRC, 70% included one or more partners from 
Enlargement countries.  

To  nurture  the  development  of  future  partnerships,  a  new  facility  for  short-term 
contracts  was  introduced  to  encourage  exchange  visits  between  Enlargement  country 
research organisations and JRC Institutes  

JRC has taken a pro-active approach to attracting young researchers from enlargement 
countries to train within its Institutes and sought stronger collaboration within the Marie 
Curie Actions by inviting the respective Marie-Curie National Contact Points to Ispra. 

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8. 

CONTRIBUTION TO THE EUROPEAN RESEARCH AREA  

Overall Strategy towards the European Research Area (ERA) 

The ERA Action Plan for the JRC, published in 2003, sets out specific targets against 
which to measure JRC's contribution to the European Research Area. This contribution 
is built around five major activities: common scientific reference systems, networking, 
training  and  mobility,  research  infrastructures  and  enlargement.  These  activities  are 
embedded in the JRC's own workprogramme. 

In 2003 the JRC has strengthened its role in the development and operation of several 
reference  systems  on  metrology,  energy  and  cyber-security.  Work  was  carried  out  in 
preparation  for  Community  Reference  Laboratories  on  GMO  Food  and  Feed 
Legislation, on Food Contact Materials and on Feed Additives. 

Collaborations with Partners 

The Framework Programme is one of the main instruments to implement the ERA. In 
the  first  year  of  FP6  the  JRC  has,  together  with  its  partners,  successfully  prepared  a 
number of major research projects and networks. Participation in these activities allows 
for  important  and  lasting  partnerships  with  major  European  research  players.  It  also 
involves  work  around  JRC  facilities  which  results  in  increased  access  and  use  of 
specialised infrastructures and databases, and maximises the opportunities for training at 
JRC Institutes. 

The new FP6 projects and networks cover a wide range of topics throughout the entire 
JRC  work-programme,  such  as:  food  safety,  nano-biotechnology,  photo-voltaics, 
hydrogen,  information  society,  vehicle  safety,  atmospheric  change,  actinides,  nuclear 
accidents, and research policy. 

Global Monitoring for Environment and Security (GMES) 

The  objective  of  the  EU  and  ESA’s  GMES  initiative  is  ensuring  European  access  to 
independent and reliable information that can enable decision makers to better manage 
our environment and security by anticipating or mitigating crisis situations and related 
issues.  

The GMES “Initial Period Final Report and Communication” from the Commission to 
the  European  Parliament  and  the  Council  were  both  completed  with  full  JRC 
participation in the drafting process. To this end, JRC’s in-house expertise in research 
and  policy  support  played  an  important  role.  This  work,  detailed  in  a  brochure,  was 
widely distributed at the 4th GMES Forum and at the 1st Earth Observation Summit at 
which 37 countries and 22 world-wide organisations participated.  

This  helped  consolidate  GMES  priorities  and  has  appreciably  reaffirmed  JRC’s 
international profile in this domain. 

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9. 

NUCLEAR FACILITIES MANAGEMENT 

Decommissioning of JRC nuclear installations 

The Commission is responsible for the management of nuclear installations, built for the 
purposes of the Euratom Treaty, until their decommissioning. In 1999, the JRC initiated 
the  Decommissioning  and  Waste  Management  (D&WM)  programme  aimed  at 
decommissioning the obsolete installations and the treatment of related waste.  

This programme is managed in each JRC establishment by a specialised team, with the 
advice  of  a  group  of  experts,  which  is  composed  of  external  experts  designated  by 
Member States. 

The present status 

In  2003,  the  programme  has  been  entirely  reassessed  by  the  JRC  and  reviewed  by  a 
consortium  of  experienced  external  organisations,  to  account  for  major  technical  and 
economical  changes  that  have  occurred  since  1999  when  the  programme  was  first 
presented to the Council and the European Parliament.  

A new communication to the Council and the European Parliament has been prepared 
on the basis of the above, for approval in 2004. 

Further, the JRC set up a permanent Steering Committee chaired by its Deputy Director-
General to review on an on-going basis and steer the achievements and objectives of the 
programme. 

At  the  JRC  Ispra  site  in  Italy  (the  main  JRC-site  currently  undergoing  effective 
decommissioning), progress was made in the provision of waste management facilities, 
a prerequisite for decommissioning: 

The liquid effluent treatment plant was completed and commissioned successfully.  

The material clearance facility, which allows declassifying non-radioactive material that 
originated  from  nuclear  decommissioning  activities,  was  equipped  with  a  non-
destructive assay system. 

The  upgrading  of  the  decontamination  plant  was  pursued  with  the  installation  of  an 
ultrasonic bath and a water-wash cabin is being installed.  

Meetings  were  held  with  the  Italian  safety  authorities  in  order  to  define  waste 
acceptance  criteria  compatible  with  the  future  Italian  final  repository.  There  was  also 
dialogue on the siting and management of the interim store to be built on the Ispra site. 

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High Flux Reactor (HFR) 

The  HFR  is  one  of  the  most  powerful  research  reactors  of  its  kind  and  a  key 
technological platform for fundamental, innovative, medical, thermonuclear fusion and 
reactor safety research. 

As follow-up to the 2002 safety assessment, a new in-service inspection took place in 
the summer of 2003 and the structural assessment plan was successfully completed in 
November. It concluded that the vessel can be operated until at least 2015. Furthermore 
an IAEA action plan on safety culture improvement was completed by February 2004. 

A new licence request was launched in 2001 and submitted to the Dutch authorities in 
December  2003.  The  new  licence  should  be  granted  to  the  Nuclear  Research  and 
Consultancy  Group  (NRG),  the  present  operator  of  the  HFR,  by  mid-2004.  A  new 
proposal for a Supplementary Programme covering the period 2004-2006 was adopted 
by the Commission in December 2003 and by the Council in February 2004. 

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10. 

THE JRC IN FIGURES 

10.1.  Core Staff 

The core staff of the JRC (M-male, F-female) is composed of the following categories: 

Core Staff (end-of-year situation) 

2002 

2002 

2002 

2003 

2003 

2003 

M 

F 

Total 

M 

F 

Total 

Officials 

714 

235 

949 

794 

262 

1056 

Temporary  agents  on  5-year  renewable 
contracts 

458 

154 

612 

344 

123 

467 

Temporary agents on 3-year non-renewable 
contracts 

64 

17 

81 

39 

10 

49 

TOTAL 

1236 

406 

1642 

1177 

395 

1572 

Of the above-mentioned total, 1253 staff members can be considered as scientific staff. 
While  the  number  of  scientists  decreased  temporarily  in  2003,  this  was  due  to  the 
change from the Fifth to the Sixth Framework Programme (FP6). It is anticipated that 
the numbers will increase significantly throughout the Sixth Framework Programme and 
more particularly as a result of Enlargement. Commission policy for staff financed on 
the research budget calls for the “integration of research staff into the mainstream of the 
Commission’s  personnel  policy”.  A  minimum  target  of  65%  was  set  and  the  JRC 
attained 67% in 2003. On the other hand a margin of flexibility of between 10 to 35% of 
permanent research posts must be maintained for the recruitment of specialised staff to 
cope with needs that are strictly time-limited.  

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Core Staff Distribution 

(end-of-year situation) 

  2002 

2003 

M 

F 

TOTA
L 

M 

F 

TOTAL 

Institute 
Measurements 

for  Reference  Materials  and 

127 

41 

168 

128 

46 

174 

Institute for Transuranium Elements 

175 

40 

215 

168 

40 

208 

Institute for Energy 

130 

24 

154 

127 

20 

147 

Institute  for  the  Protection  and  Security  of 
the Citizen 

184 

51 

235 

171 

45 

216 

Institute for Environment and Sustainability  193 

Institute for Health and Consumer Protection 100 

56 

58 

249 

192 

55 

247 

158 

87 

54 

141 

Institute 
Studies 

for  Prospective  Technological 

39 

17 

56 

33 

18 

51 

Directorate  General,  Programme 
and 
Resource  Management and Institutional and 
Scientific Relations 

288 

119 

407 

271 

117 

388 

Total 

1236  406 

1642 

1177  395 

1572 

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10.2.  Visiting staff 

In  addition  to  its  core  staff,  the  JRC  has  an  active  policy  of  hosting  grant  holders, 
visiting scientists, seconded national experts, auxiliaries and trainees coming primarily 
from  the  Member  States,  Acceding  and  Candidate  Countries.  Visiting  scientists  bring 
skills,  knowledge  and  expertise  to  help  resolve  current  scientific  challenges,  while 
benefiting from the cultural diversity, multidisciplinary research domains and extensive 
research networks at the JRC. 

Visiting staff 

2002  

2002  

2002 

2003  

2003  

2003 

Trainees 

M 

31 

Postgraduate grant holders 

53 

Post-doctoral 
holders 

Visiting scientists 

grant 

60 

19 

Seconded national experts  18 

F 

22 

51 

29 

5 

6 

Auxiliaries 

TOTAL 

141 

322 

156 

269 

Equal opportunities 

Total 

53 

104 

89 

24 

24 

297 

591 

M 

19 

42 

48 

21 

F 

20 

36 

22 

10 

29 

9 

211 

227 

370 

324 

Total 

39 

78 

70 

31 

38 

438 

694 

The JRC takes a proactive stance with regard to promoting equal opportunities and, in 
particular,  gender  equality  in  its  working  environment.  The  JRC-wide  network  on 
“Women and Science”, set up in 2000, continued its monitoring role on gender equality 
in the organisation. In addition to monitoring progress on recruitment, promotions and 
managerial  positions,  the  network  undertook  a  comparative  study  on  social  working 
environment  aspects  and  noted  the  successful  implementation  of  the  code  of  good 
practice concerning maternity leave replacement. Concerning visiting scientists, gender 
parity continued to improve with women making up 46.7 % by the end of 2003. 

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DISCLAIMER  

“The figures in this section are tentative and reflect the situation on 30 January 2004. 
The absolutely final figures will only be available on 31 March”. 

10.3. 

Institutional budget 

The available credits to the JRC are sub-divided into staff expenses, means of execution 
(maintenance of buildings and equipment, electricity, insurance, consumables, etc.) and 
specific credits (direct scientific procurements). The credits come from the institutional 
budget,  made  available  directly  from  the  European  budget  to  the  JRC  for  the  sixth 
framework  programme.  On  the  institutional  budget,  the  following  sums  were 
committed: 

In million Euro (M€) 

Staff expenses 

Means of execution 

Specific credits 

Total (rounded) 

2001 

160 

49 

40 

249 

2002 

163 

49 

38 

250 

2003 

168 

53 

35 

256 

In  addition,  a  total  amount  of  13.0  M€  was  made  available  to  finance  an  action 
programme to shut down and decommission nuclear installations and manage the waste-
activities related to the EURATOM treaty. 

Additional  credits  of  14.7  M€  came  from  contributions  of  countries  associated  to  the 
Framework Programme and from competitive activities undertaken by the JRC. 

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DISCLAIMER  

“All figures on this page are tentative and reflect the situation on 30 January 2004. The 
absolutely final figures will only be available on 31 March”. 

10.4.  Competitive activities 

The table below shows the values of contracts signed and inscribed into the 2001, 2002 
and 2003 accounts.  

Contracts Signed 

Indirect Actions 

2001 

2002 

14.1 

2,3 

Competitive  activities  outside  the  Framework  Programme 
(FP) 

9.3 

Third Party work 

TOTAL 

11.4 

34.8 

13,8 

5,2 

21,3 

2003 

 4.1 

17.3 

 4.5 

25.9 

A portion of the JRC's income comes from participation in indirect actions of the Sixth 
Framework  Programme,  performing  additional  work  for  Commission  services  and 
contract  work  for  third  parties  such  as  regional  authorities  or  industry.  These 
competitive  activities  must  complement 
in  JRC's  own 
workprogramme  and  are  seen  as  an  essential  tool  for  acquiring  and  transferring 
expertise and know-how.  

tasks  outlined 

the 

In  response  to  the  first  calls  for  proposals  of  2003,  the  JRC  enjoyed  a  success  rate  of 
almost  50%  with  77  new  proposals  awarded.  These  include  participation  in  15 
Networks  of  Excellence  and  22  Integrated  Projects,  both  new  instruments  of  FP6. 
Examples of projects funded are: 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

Sustainable Introduction of GMOs into European Agriculture 

A Network on Actinides Research 

A Network on Nano-Technologies  

Sharing  Experience  on  Risk  Management  (health,  safety  and  environment)  to 
Prepare Future Industrial Systems 

Storage of Hydrogen 

The Future of Identity in the Information Society 

Competitive activities outside the Framework Programme includes additional paid work 
for  Commission  services  which  is  not  covered  by  the  JRC's  own  workprogramme.  29 
new contracts were signed in 2003 for a total amount of 17.3 (tbc) M€. 

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10.5. 

2003 Publications 

Institute 

Monographs 
and 

EUR reports 

General 

2 

Management 

IRMM 

ITU 

IE 

IPSC 

IES 

IHCP 

IPTS 

27 

1 

15 

30 

66 

26 

32 

TOTAL 

199 

Articles1 

Conference2 

Conferences3 

Special4 

Total 

Proceedings 

Publications 

1 

42 

48 

65 

91 

128 

34 

5 

414 

71 

78 

28 

33 

167 

57 

20 

454 

2 

95 

80 

16 

74 

204 

122 

56 

649 

62 

67 

7 

8 

21 

48 

38 

24 

14 

242 

215 

145 

276 

603 

263 

127 

222 

1938 

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11. 

APPENDICES 

11.1.  Board of Governors (status December 2003) 

Prof. Fernando ALDANA  
Director 
Oficina de Innovación y Tecnología Empresarial 

E. Técnica Superior de Ingenieros Industriales 
E - 28006 Madrid - Spain 

MEMBERS 

Dr. Monnik DESMETH  

General Adviser Public Planning Service 

"Science Policy" 

B - 1000 Brussel  

Replaced Mr. Jacques WAUTREQUIN in June 2003 
Dr. Hans Peter JENSEN 

Deputy Director Institute of Food Safety and Nutrition 
DK – 2860 Søborg 

Mr. Hartmut F. GRÜBEL  

Ministerialdirigent 

Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung  

Heinemannstrasse 2 D - 53175 Bonn  
Prof. Demosthenes ASIMAKOPOULOS 

Chairman of the Physics Department 
University of Athens 
GR - 157 84 Athens - Greece 

Prof. José Pío BELTRÁN 
Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology of Plants (CSIC-UPV) 

Campus de la Universidad Politécnica de Valencia  

Avenida de los Naranjos s/n 

E – 46022 Valencia 

Mr. Philippe GARDERET  

Directeur de l’Innovation et des Technologies Emergentes 
AREVA  
F – 75433 Paris Cédex 09 

CHAIRMAN 

BELGIQUE/BELGIË

DANMARK 

DEUTSCHLAND 

ELLAS 

ESPAÑA 

FRANCE 

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Dr. Killian HALPIN 
Director Office of Science & Technology - Policy Division 
Forfás, Wilton Park House 
IRL - Dublin 2 

Ing. Paolo VENDITTI 
Direttore Generale Consorzio SICN 
I - 00196 Roma 
Mr. Pierre DECKER 
Conseiller de Gouvernement 1ère classe 
Ministère de la Culture, de l’ Enseignement Supérieur et de la Recherche
L - 2273 Luxembourg 

Dr. Kees VIJLBRIEF 
Directeur 
Directie Infrastructuur en Innovatie van het DG Innovatie 
Ministerie van Economische Zaken 

IRELAND 

ITALIA 

LUXEMBOURG 

NEDERLAND 

NL - 2500 EC Den Haag 

Dr. Daniel WESELKA 

Bundesministerium für Bildung, Wissenschaft undKultur,  

Abteilung VI/4 

Rosengasse 2-6 

A - 1010 Wien 

Prof. José CARVALHO SOARES 
Centro de Física Nuclear da Universidade de Lisboa  

Avenida Prof. Gama Pinto 2  

P – 1649-003 Lisboa 

Professor Erkki KM LEPPÄVUORI  

ÖSTERREICH 

PORTUGAL 

Director General VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland  

Vuorimiehentie 5, Espoo - P.O. Box 1000 

SUOMI/FINLAND  

FIN - 02044 VTT 
Prof. Kerstin FREDGA 
S – 131 50 Saltsjö-Duvnäs - Sweden 

Dr. James McQUAID  

Office of Science and Technology 

61 Pringle Road  
GB - Sheffield S7 2LL 

SVERIGE 

UNITED KINGDOM 

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PARTICIPANTS 

Mrs. Albena VUTSOVA 

Director 

Ministry of Education and Science 

BG - Sofia 1000 - Bulgaria 

Dr. Karel AIM 
ICPF Scientific Board Chair 

Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic 
Institute of Chemical Process Fundamentals 
CZ - 165 02 Praha 6 - Czech Republic 

Mr. Panikos POUROS 
President of the Board of Directors 

Research Promotion Foundation 

CY – 1683 Nicosia 

Dr. Toivo RÄIM 
Ministry of Education of Estonia 

Department of Research and High Education 
EE – Tartu 50088 - Estonia 
Dr. Axel BJÖRNSSON  
Professor in Environmental Sciences 
University of Akureyri  
IS - 600 Akureyri 

Dr. Michael BEYTH  

Chief Scientist and Director Earth Science Research Administration  

Ministry of National Infrastructures 

234 Jaffa Street - IL - 91130 Jerusalem 

Prof. Andrejs SILIŅŠ 

Vice President 
Latvian Academy of Sciences 
LV - 1050 Riga 
Mrs. Sabine ALTHOF 
Amt für Volkswirtschaft 
FL - 9490 Vaduz 

Dr. Habil. Antanas ČENYS 

Chairman of Senate (Board) 
Semiconductor Physics Institute 

LT - 2600 Vilnius - Lithuania 
Prof. László KEVICZKY 
Member of the Academy, Vice-President 

BĂLGARIJA 

ČESKÁ 
REPUBLIKA 

CYPRUS 

EESTI 

ISLAND 

ISRAEL 

LATVIJA 

FÜRSTENTUM 
LIECHTENSTEIN 

LIETUVA 

MAGYARORSZÁG 

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Hungarian Academy of Sciences 
H - 1051 Budapest - Hungary 
Professor Roger ELLUL-MICALLEF 

Rector University of Malta 

M – Msida MSD 06 
Mr. Andreas MORTENSEN 
Ministry of Trade and Industry 
N - 0030 Oslo - Norway 

Prof. Jerzy LANGER 
Institute of Physics, Polish Academy of Sciences 
PL - 02-668 Warszawa - Poland 

Dr. Constantin GHEORGHIU 
Scientific Deputy Director 
Institute for Nuclear Research 
P.O. Box 78 

RO – 0300 Pitesti 

Dr. Vladimír ŠUCHA 

Associated Professor at Faculty of Sciences 

Department of Geology of Mineral Deposits, Comenius University 

SK – 842 15 Bratislava - Slovak Republic 

Dr. Miloš KOMAC 
State Undersecretary 
Ministry of Education, Science and Sport 
SL - 1000 Ljubljana 

Professor Dr. Namik Kemal PAK  

President 

MALTA 

NORGE 

POLSKA 

ROMÂNIA 

SLOVENSKÁ 
REPUBLIKA 

SLOVENIJA 

Scientific and Technical Research Council (TÜBITAK) 

TÜRKIYE 

Atatürk Bulvari, 221 

Kavaklidere, 06100 Ankara 

Secretary of the JRC Board of Governors: 

Ms. Piedad GARCÍA de la RASILLA 
European Commission  
SDME 10/66 - B-1049 Brussels  

Tel.: +32-2-295.86.35 
Fax: +32-2-299.23.01 
e-mail: piedad.garcia-de-la-rasilla@cec.eu.int 

Secretary : Ms. D. Ursulet. 

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11.2. 

JRC Directors 

The JRC Directors (status February 2004) 

Director-General 

Deputy Director-General 

Barry Mc Sweeney 

Roland Schenkel 

Institute for Reference Materials and Measurements  Alejandro Herrero-Molina  

Institute for Health and Consumer Protection 

Kees van Leeuwen 

Institute for Environment and Sustainability 

Manfred Grasserbauer  

Institute  for  the  Protection  and  Security  of  the 
Citizen 

Jean-Marie Cadiou 

Institute for Energy 

Kari Törrönen 

Institute for Transuranium Elements 

Gerard Lander 

Institute for Prospective Technological Studies 

Peter Kind 

Institutional and Scientific Relations Directorate 

Michael Fahy (acting)  

Programme and Resource Management Directorate 

Freddy Dezeure (acting) 

Ispra Site Directorate 

David R. Wilkinson 

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