The JRC plays a vital role in safeguarding the EU’s land, seas, airspace and cyberspace. By investigating existing and emerging threats and developing innovative solutions, it promotes coordinated responses to shared challenges across Member States. From tackling the rising risks posed by civil drones to employing space technologies for disaster prevention and exploring the intersections between climate change, energy, and defence, the JRC takes a future-forward approach to supporting Member States in protecting their citizens, infrastructure and assets.
supporting Member States in protecting their citizens, infrastructure and assets.JRC takes a future forward approach to
The JRC has developed the Global Human Settlement Layer (GHSL), a powerful open tool for disaster risk reduction and urban planning. Harnessing evidence-based analytics and knowledge using new spatial data mining technologies, the GHSL takes the form of built-up population density and settlement maps that generate crucial information on human settlements, all derived from satellite imagery. By offering a detailed understanding of these patterns and their changes over time, it helps policymakers design sustainable urban areas and assess risks more effectively. This pioneering tool is instrumental in disaster preparedness and management, aiding local authorities in managing response efforts to natural disasters.
The GHSL data was crucial to help the UN Statistical Commission promote a new definition of city and rural areas. This, in turn, will allow countries to report in a more transparent way on Sustainable Development Goals. The JRC provided training to 43 countries to implement the new science-based method.
JRC supports law enforcement agencies in their efforts to combat cybercrime through two key initiatives: the Digital Forensics Laboratory (DFL) and the Europol Decryption Platform (EDP). The first initiative develops innovative tools and methodologies for analysing digital evidence, providing research and development, technical support, and collaboration services to EU institutions and law enforcement agencies. The Europol Decryption Platform, designed and hosted by the JRC, is a secure platform that enables law enforcement agencies to decrypt and analyse encrypted data related to criminal investigations. The JRC contributes to the development of the EDP by providing expertise in cryptanalysis and data security, conducting research on innovative decryption techniques, and offering training and support to Europol and its partners.
The Commission has established common rules in the field of aviation security aimed at protection of persons and goods from unlawful interference with civil aircrafts, which includes technical requirements for security screening equipment. The JRC has developed a harmonised explosive trace detection (ETD) test kit with standardised test materials and training courses to support aviation authorities and airports to monitor whether aviation security equipment at passenger checkpoints, continues to meet the regulatory performance requirements during its operational lifetime.
The increase illicit use of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (drones) presents new challenges to public safety and security. As support to EC initiatives, the JRC has released two comprehensive handbooks that offer expert guidance for Member States stakeholders. The handbooks offer detailed instructions on initiating Counter-Unmanned Aircraft Systems efforts, assessing drone-related risks, designing and implementing physical hardening measures. Furthermore, JRC supports the EC initiatives in implementation of the EC DRONE 2.0 strategy and EC communications on how to protect against maliciously used drones with expert knowledge in the EC expert group, dedicated online tools and the implementation of the JRC C-UAS living lab.
As a crucial step towards enhancing EU defence, the JRC has made significant strides in exploring the climate change-energy-defence nexus. A groundbreaking 2023 report reveals vulnerabilities in EU defence and energy systems, including data gaps, interdependencies, and risks to military infrastructure. To drive climate resilience and energy sustainability, the report recommends integrating climate resilience into defence strategies and securing energy sources. By capitalising on these insights, Member States can improve their preparedness for climate-related threats and bolster EU defence against climate-induced risks. To this end, JRC supports Ministries of Defence in the Climate and Defence Network led by EEAS.
The JRC has developed a comprehensive approach to strengthen EU resilience against hybrid threats, including cyberattacks, disinformation, and infrastructure sabotage. Our flagship report promotes a collaborative model to build robust and adaptable systems, ensuring Europe remains prepared for modern security challenges.
The report has been utilised to conduct a joint study with the European Defence Agency (EDA) to enhance the resilience of critical energy infrastructure for the defense sector. The study’s findings were applied in a table-top exercise with Ministries of Defence from various Member States, promoting civil-military collaboration and raising awareness on defence energy resilience.
