Europe faces rising socio-economic risks from climate change and extreme events such as heatwaves, droughts, storms, and snow hazards. These hazards affect critical sectors including health, food and water security, agriculture, forestry, energy, transport, tourism, biodiversity, finance, insurance, and social cohesion, and are further amplified by geopolitical tensions and the aftershocks of COVID-19. Current approaches remain fragmented, with limited integration of physical impacts and socio-economic consequences into decision-making. CROSSEU responds by developing a cross-sectoral framework for socio-economic resilience, centred on a Decision Support System (DSS) that integrates climate, economic, social, and bio-geophysical knowledge. Targeting NUTS2 and NUTS3 outcomes, the DSS supports context-specific assessments of vulnerabilities and adaptation options, enabling policymakers, businesses, and communities to better anticipate risks and design pathways for resilience.
The project advances through four steps: co-design with stakeholders; integrated risk assessments across sectors and regions; co-development of resilience options in urban, rural, coastal, and mountain systems; and translation into policy recommendations. By combining event-based storylines of extreme impacts, a harmonised knowledge base, and an operational DSS, CROSSEU delivers tools and evidence that directly support the European Green Deal (EGD), strengthen national adaptation strategies, and inform EU-level climate policy. SSH is embedded throughout the project, analysing how risks affect different groups, how communities respond, and how inequalities, migration, and justice intersect with adaptation. SSH also guides participatory co-production, ensuring stakeholder relevance, and captures non-market impacts such as health, biodiversity, and well-being often missed by economic metrics. CROSSEU empowers local communities, inform national strategies, and strengthen EU frameworks.
