Eight sites for supercomputing centres have been selected across the EU to host the first European supercomputers. They will support Europe’s researchers, industry and businesses in developing new applications in a wide range of areas, from designing medicines and new materials to fighting climate change.

In a major step towards making Europe a top supercomputing region globally, the European High-Performance Computing Joint Undertaking – EuroHPC has selected 8 sites for supercomputing centres located in 8 different Member States to host the new high-performance computing machines. The hosting sites will be located in Sofia (Bulgaria), Ostrava (Czechia), Kajaani (Finland), Bologna (Italy), Bissen (Luxembourg), Minho (Portugal), Maribor (Slovenia), and Barcelona (Spain). They will support the development of major applications in domains such as personalised medicine, drug and material design, bio-engineering, weather forecasting, and climate change. In total, 19 of the 28 countries participating in the Joint Undertaking will be part of the consortia operating the centres. Together with EU funds, it represents a total budget of € 840 million. The exact funding arrangements for the new supercomputers will be reflected in hosting agreements that will be signed soon.

Vice-President for the Digital Single Market, Andrus Ansip, said: “These sites will give our researchers access to world-class supercomputers, a strategic resource for the future of European industry. They will be able to process their data inside the EU, not outside it. It is a major step forward for Europe to reach the next level of computing capacity; it will help us to advance in future-oriented technologies like the Internet of Things, artificial intelligence, robotics and data analytics.”

Commissioner for Budget and Human Resources, Günther Oettinger, stated: “This initiative demonstrates how joint investment between the EU and its Member States in support of a common objective can contribute to making Europe a leader in a high-technology sector, bringing significant benefits to all European citizens and businesses. We are now looking ahead to the EU’s next long-term budget and to our Digital Europe Programme, through which we have proposed a significant amount of investment in deploying a world-class supercomputing and data infrastructure.“

Commissioner for the Digital Economy and Society Mariya Gabriel added: “The European High Performance Computing Joint Undertaking is a good example of how EU countries can cooperate to drive innovation and compete globally in these highly strategic technologies. I am convinced that the new supercomputers that these sites will host will boost Europe’s competitiveness in the digital area. We have demonstrated the strength of our European approach which will bring concrete benefits to our citizens and help our SMEs.”

In today’s world, high-performance computing capabilities are crucial in generating growth and jobs but also for strategic autonomy and innovation in any field. The range of supercomputing uses is vast. It can, for example, forecast the evolution of local and regional weather patterns and predict the size and paths of storms and floods, making it possible to activate early warning systems for extreme weather events. It is also used in designing new medicines, solving complex physics equations that model the molecular processes and interactions of a new drug with human tissues. The aviation and automotive industries also use supercomputing to perform complex simulations and test individual components and entire planes and cars. Moreover, as they are vital for running large-scale simulations and for data analytics, supercomputers are an extremely important component in the development of artificial intelligence, and to boost Europe’s strengths in cybersecurity and blockchain.

Next steps

The Joint Undertaking, along with the selected hosting sites, plans to acquire 8 supercomputers: 3 precursor to exascale machines (capable of executing more than 150 Petaflops, or 150 million billion calculations per second) that will be in the global top 5, and 5 petascale machines (capable of executing at least 4 Petaflops, or 4 million billion operations per second).

The precursor to exascale systems are expected to provide 4-5 times more computing power than the current top supercomputing systems of the Partnership for Advanced Computing in Europe (PRACE). Together with the petascale systems, they will double the supercomputing resources available for European-level use, meaning that many more users will have access to them.

In the next few months, the Joint Undertaking will sign agreements with the selected hosting entities and their hosting Consortia. These agreements will reflect the way the procurement process for acquiring the machines will work and the respective budget commitments of the Commission and member countries. The supercomputers are expected to become operational during the second half of 2020 for European users from academia, industry and the public sector. All the new supercomputers will be connected to the GEANT high-speed pan-European network, like the existing supercomputers that are part of PRACE.

In the next few days, senior Commission officials will join representatives of national governments and of the supercomputing centres involved to present this major milestone for European supercomputing.

Background

Proposed by the Commission and supported by the Council of the EU, the EuroHPC Joint Undertaking was established in November 2018 with the aim of equipping the EU with a world-class supercomputing infrastructure by the end of 2020.

In February 2019, the Joint Undertaking launched its first calls for expression of interest to select the sites that will host its first supercomputers by the end of 2020. Two calls were opened: one for hosting entities for petascale supercomputers, and one for hosting entities for precursor to exascale supercomputers.

Supercomputing is a key priority in the EU’s Digital Europe programme proposed by the Commission in May 2018 in the context of the next long-term EU budget, which includes a proposal of € 2.7 billion to fund supercomputing in Europe during the 2021-2027 period. This budget will permit the Joint Undertaking to support the acquisition of exascale supercomputers (capable of executing 10¹⁸ calculations per second, or a thousand Petaflops) by 2023 and the development of leading applications running on these supercomputers and the skills for using them.

For more information

Factsheet – Pooling resources to build a world-class supercomputing infrastructure and ecosystem in Europe

EuroHPC Joint Undertaking

Press release – Council backs Commission’s plans to invest €1 billion in world-class European supercomputers

I ate my first apple when I was 7 years old. I still recall how it tasted in my mouth: juicy, sweet and crisp. How could I ever forget? Food is powerful: it shakes our senses, evokes memories, and comforts us. Food is part of our everyday lives: it’s nurturing us, it brings us together: we love sharing meals with people we love, talking about what we cook, trying new recipes.

Today, as we celebrate the first World Food Safety Day, I invite you to take a moment to reflect upon the efforts required to bring safe food to our tables and pay tribute to all the people who make it possible: farmers, chefs, agronomists, veterinarians, auditors and so many others who work around the clock to make safe food a reality. This day is also an opportunity to reflect on what still remains to be achieved on food safety and security, human and animal health, sustainable development and economic prosperity.

As a Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, I can proudly state that in the European Union we enjoy the highest food safety standards due to a number of effective actions and systems that are put in place to tackle global challenges on food safety. Food safety implies protecting health and preventing illness, and this is why it is also closely linked to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.

In the EU, food ‘safety nets’ are strong. We have a solid legislative basis to control hazards in the supply chain. To make sure that the legislation is implemented and enforced, we rely on dozens of audits and inspections carried out within and outside the EU.

We base our decisions on sound scientific evidence. To do so, we rely on the European Food Safety Agency (EFSA) that brings together scientists from all Member States to provide valuable scientific expertise. I am glad that during my mandate EFSA’s has been strengthened.

Furthermore, we have a solid traceability system that covers all stages of food production, processing and distribution. For the last 40 years the EU’s Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed has ensured that urgent notifications and alerts for food and feed risks are reported, processed and responded to efficiently.

Finally, we must be proud that our rules are often perceived as golden standards and we promote their uptake in international context, notably by working hand in hand with International organisations, such as Food World Organisation (FAO) and World Health Organisation (WHO). It is no surprise that the World Food Safety Day was established under the FAO/WHO Codex Alimentarius – International standards in all key areas of food safety. Equally. We also promote our model via, the “Better Training for Safer Food” initiative that aims to keep staff in EU and non-EU countries involved in official control activities up-to-date with EU law in the areas of food and feed safety, animal health and welfare and plant health.

I am very glad that now we have a specific day that celebrates food safety. What would be my wish for the years to come? I think it is time we went much further: making sure that the food we eat is not only safe but also healthy, respectful of the environment, and accessible to everyone.

This follows publication of the RTS on ESEF in the Official Journal of the EU on 29 May 2019.

The core taxonomy currently included in the RTS on the ESEF is the 2017 IFRS Taxonomy. The draft amendment aims to replace that version with the most recent one published by the IFRS Foundation in March 2019. This update is a purely technical amendment to the original RTS on the ESEF.

The ESEF taxonomy is based on the IFRS Taxonomy, and as the IFRS Standards and taxonomy evolve, the RTS on ESEF needs to evolve accordingly to provide preparers with the most relevant ESEF taxonomy for tagging IFRS consolidated financial statements.  This will promote electronic reporting that is up-to-date with the applicable reporting standards, facilitating implementation of the tagging requirements and ensuring the highest comparability of filings for end-users at European and global level.

Next steps

The RTS on ESEF will be amended on a yearly basis to reflect updates to the IFRS Taxonomy published by the IFRS Foundation.

​6 June 2019

With the active support of Eurojust, the Italian and Romanian national authorities brought down an organised crime group involved in trafficking in human beings for sexual exploitation. In a joint action day, coordinated by Eurojust, 8 suspects were placed under preventive measures, 18 house searches were carried out and more than €70 000 in assets and cash were seized. Another three people were deported to Romania. It was the first time that two National Members at Eurojust submitted to the Italian and Romanian competent authorities a formal Joint Request that triggered the initiation of an investigation and the setting up of a joint investigation team.

The members of the organised crime group (OCG), mainly composed of Romanian nationals, coerced women and minors into prostitution, initially in the Romanian Pascani district and at a later stage, in the area of Bergamo in Italy. The victims typically stemmed from poor rural areas and precarious family backgrounds, and had a low level of education. The OCG members promised to the victims lawful jobs and a better future in Italy and occasionally recruited them via job centres. The victims were forced to pay to the criminals €100 per day, and an additional amount for accommodation and transportation The OCG members are suspected of having committed the crime of trafficking in human beings (THB) with the purpose of enslavement, prostitution and sexual exploitation.

To target the OCG more efficiently, the National Members for Italy and Romania at Eurojust took the initiative in April 2018 and convinced the Italian Public Prosecutor’s Office of Brescia to open an investigation into the OCG and form a joint investigation team (JIT) with the Romanian Territorial Office of the Directorate for Investigation of Organised Crime and Terrorism of Iaşi. The Italian National Antimafia Directorate was also involved in triggering the investigation. Eurojust supported the JIT financially and logistically and held two coordination meetings at its premises in The Hague to further facilitate the judicial cooperation between the authorities involved, and help them advance their criminal investigations. The successful outcome of the operation was mainly due to this unique Joint Request, which is based on the special powers granted to National Members by the Council Decision setting up Eurojust as the EU’s Judicial Cooperation Unit.. [Click here or on image to view video]

Joint Requests

Eurojust Joint Requests are issued in accordance with Article 6 of the Council Decision 2002/187/JHA setting up Eurojust, as amended by Council Decision 2009/426/JHA. Based on this legal provision, Eurojust National Members can ask the competent national judicial authorities to perform a variety of activities, including: undertake an investigation, coordinate their actions, set up a JIT, take special investigative measures (e.g. controlled deliveries). This power of request can be exercised individually by one National Member, but also jointly, which is a recent practice that reinforces the advisory and persuasive role of Eurojust. Historically, joint requests have been used to address conflicts of jurisdiction by requesting the competent authorities to accept that one of them is in a better position to prosecute.

​6 June 2019

With the active support of Eurojust, the Italian and Romanian national authorities brought down an organised crime group involved in trafficking in human beings for sexual exploitation. In a joint action day, coordinated by Eurojust, 8 suspects were placed under preventive measures, 18 house searches were carried out and more than €70 000 in assets and cash were seized. Another three people were deported to Romania. It was the first time that two National Members at Eurojust submitted to the Italian and Romanian competent authorities a formal Joint Request that triggered the initiation of an investigation and the setting up of a joint investigation team.

The members of the organised crime group (OCG), mainly composed of Romanian nationals, coerced women and minors into prostitution, initially in the Romanian Pascani district and at a later stage, in the area of Bergamo in Italy. The victims typically stemmed from poor rural areas and precarious family backgrounds, and had a low level of education. The OCG members promised to the victims lawful jobs and a better future in Italy and occasionally recruited them via job centres. The victims were forced to pay to the criminals €100 per day, and an additional amount for accommodation and transportation The OCG members are suspected of having committed the crime of trafficking in human beings (THB) with the purpose of enslavement, prostitution and sexual exploitation.

To target the OCG more efficiently, the National Members for Italy and Romania at Eurojust took the initiative in April 2018 and convinced the Italian Public Prosecutor’s Office of Brescia to open an investigation into the OCG and form a joint investigation team (JIT) with the Romanian Territorial Office of the Directorate for Investigation of Organised Crime and Terrorism of Iaşi. The Italian National Antimafia Directorate was also involved in triggering the investigation. Eurojust supported the JIT financially and logistically and held two coordination meetings at its premises in The Hague to further facilitate the judicial cooperation between the authorities involved, and help them advance their criminal investigations. The successful outcome of the operation was mainly due to this unique Joint Request, which is based on the special powers granted to National Members by the Council Decision setting up Eurojust as the EU’s Judicial Cooperation Unit.. [Click here or on image to view video]

Joint Requests

Eurojust Joint Requests are issued in accordance with Article 6 of the Council Decision 2002/187/JHA setting up Eurojust, as amended by Council Decision 2009/426/JHA. Based on this legal provision, Eurojust National Members can ask the competent national judicial authorities to perform a variety of activities, including: undertake an investigation, coordinate their actions, set up a JIT, take special investigative measures (e.g. controlled deliveries). This power of request can be exercised individually by one National Member, but also jointly, which is a recent practice that reinforces the advisory and persuasive role of Eurojust. Historically, joint requests have been used to address conflicts of jurisdiction by requesting the competent authorities to accept that one of them is in a better position to prosecute.