Security is a pre-requisite for stability and growth. The Lisbon Treaty recognises that protecting the EU’s prosperity and security requires that the EU play an active role in tackling global challenges such as poverty, conflict and humanitarian disasters through actions to support development, reduce the risk of disasters and conflicts and their adverse impacts, as well as to improve EU capacities for preparedness and response.
The EU’s external policies and strategies aim at supporting global security and stability by enhancing the EU’s prevention, preparedness and response capabilities to various threats.
The JRC provides scientific support to EU policies addressing global security and crisis management, particularly those concerned with improving the EU’s disaster risk reduction measures and the protection of the EU budget, as well as with enhancing the EU’s prevention, preparedness and response capabilities to threats varying from health emergencies and humanitarian disasters to conflict and other risks.
Global Health Security support
Emerging diseases in one place can rapidly have global effects ranging from outset of disease to economic impact. Systems for international disease surveillance are therefore needed to address this issue. Through the development of the Early Alerting and Reporting system, the JRC supports the Global Health Security Initiative.
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Global Health Security support
Diamonds trade: supporting the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme
The Kimberley Process is an international certification scheme that regulates trade in rough diamonds. It aims to prevent the flow of conflict diamonds, while helping to protect legitimate trade in rough diamonds. The Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPCS) has developed a set of minimum requirements that each participant must meet. The JRC applies its competence in image processing and analysis and in statistics to contribute to the implementation of the KPCS.
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The location and size of ground diamond mines can be interpreted from satellite imagery. Diamond extraction areas often occur along rivers that are dammed or excavated to allow for stream diamonds to sediment and thus be extracted. High resolution imagery permits the monitoring of both artisanal and industrial mining activities. Satellite imagery is being used by the JRC to identify active mines and monitor their activity in time through repeated observations. Computer trained algorithms developed by the JRC are used to systematically compare extraction areas for verification of mining activities. The statistics derived from the analysis provide evidence for illegal diamond extraction.
The JRC also supports the KPCS by using innovative statistical methods for the detection of anomalies in data on the production and trade of rough diamonds. Finally, the JRC represents the EU in the KP Working Group in Statistics and leads the KP-EU Reconciliation expert team.
Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Risk Mitigation Centres of Excellence
In the fields of chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) hazards, and explosives detection, the JRC provides scientific/technical support to Commission services on measurement and standardisation, based on specific expertise in measurement and testing - in chemistry, physics, analytical sciences, measurement technologies and standardisation.
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Chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear hazards
Strengthening transparency in aid: the EU Aid Explorer
The EU is the largest provider of external aid in the world. It is therefore essential that information on aid funding by various donors is easily available and comparable. The JRC has developed the EU Aid Explorer, a web based tool that facilitates the sharing of aid funding data from multiple sources.
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Strengthening transparency in aid: the EU Aid Explorer
Experts observing maps and graphs projected on a screen.
Global safety and security