SIST-TP CEN/TR 18365:2026

• Abstract:

  This document specifies what climate data from climate projections are and where to find relevant climate data suited for infrastructure climate adaptation and resilience-building needs. This document gives support to both standards users and standards writers (with the emphasis on standards users) whether detailed climate data and information is specified in a standard, such as in a National Annex, or the standard requires the user to determine relevant climate data and information as a separate exercise. This document is relevant to all climate system data. Users of this Technical Report can also find this document helpful in dealing with derived climate system data, e.g. atmospheric pollution, flooding, ground water levels, wave heights. In addition, guidance is provided for designers of cross-border infrastructure systems, for example on the harmonisation of climate data used.; This document is intended for infrastructure owners, designers, operators and maintainers and staff of central/ regional authorities who are responsible for infrastructure within countries that are associated with CEN/CENELEC. Users includes the national standards’ bodies and authorities who will be responsible for the use of climate data in national annexes to standards.; The document does not define or prescribe the broader climate service delivery process, co-production methodologies, or stakeholder engagement practices.

• Status: Published
• Public Enquiry End Date: 09-Jul-2026
• Publication Date: 13-Oct-2026
• ICS: 01.120 - Standardization. General rules
• ICS: 13.020.40 - Pollution, pollution control and conservation
• Technical Committee: I13 - Imaginarni 13
• Current Stage: 6060 - National Implementation/Publication (Adopted Project)
• Start Date: 12-Oct-2026
• Due Date: 17-Dec-2026
• Completion Date: 14-Oct-2026
• Ref Project: CEN/TR 18365:2026 - Adaptation to climate change - Guidelines on using climate data in infrastructure standards

• Referred By: SIST EN ISO 15589-2:2024 - Oil and gas industries including lower carbon energy - Cathodic protection of pipeline transportation systems - Part 2: Offshore pipelines (ISO 15589-2:2024)
• Effective Date: 28-Jan-2026
• Referred By: SIST EN ISO 9519:2023 - Ships and marine technology - Single rungs and rungs for dog-step ladders (ISO 9519:2023)
• Effective Date: 28-Jan-2026
• Referred By: SIST EN ISO 9351:2025 - Galvanic anodes for cathodic protection in seawater and saline sediments (ISO 9351:2025)
• Effective Date: 28-Jan-2026

SIST-TP CEN/TR 18365:2026 is a CEN Technical Report on using climate data from climate projections in infrastructure standards. It helps infrastructure owners, designers, operators, maintainers, national standards bodies, and authorities find relevant climate data, understand how standards use it, and apply it to climate adaptation and resilience work.

What does SIST-TP CEN/TR 18365:2026 specify?

SIST-TP CEN/TR 18365:2026 specifies what climate data from climate projections are and where to find climate data suited to infrastructure climate adaptation and resilience needs. It also gives guidance for standards users and standards writers, especially where a standard either includes detailed climate data in a National Annex or requires the user to source data separately.

The document is organized into 10 main clauses:

1. Scope
2. Normative references
3. Terms and definitions
4. Policy and standardization frameworks
5. Other standardization deliverables
6. How climate data are used in standards
7. Hazard data
8. Data sources
9. Flexibility concerning data
10. Addressing impacts and risks

It also has four informative annexes.

Annex	What it covers
Annex A	Policy and standardization frameworks
Annex B	Examples of organizations that draft their own standards and codes of practice
Annex C	Comparison of emission and warming level scenarios
Annex D	Factors of change for climatic load maps in Structural Eurocodes

The scope also extends to derived climate system data such as flooding, groundwater levels, atmospheric pollution, and wave heights. It gives guidance for harmonising climate data in cross-border infrastructure systems, which matters when one project crosses national boundaries and needs consistent design data. The document does not set out the broader climate service delivery process, co-production methods, or stakeholder engagement practices.

What are the key requirements of SIST-TP CEN/TR 18365:2026?

SIST-TP CEN/TR 18365:2026 is a guidance document rather than a prescriptive design code, so its key value is in showing how to choose, process, and apply climate data in standards and projects. The main practical message is that users should work with the right type of data, understand its limits, and keep the data consistent with the standard they are applying.

How standards can use climate data

Clause 6 identifies three common ways standards treat climate information: the standard may include climate data directly, the user may have to source the data, or the standard may use thresholds that are not themselves climate-dependent. In practice, this helps a designer or buyer see whether the data are already built into the standard or whether a separate climate-data exercise is needed.

Clause 6.2 explains the approach used in the second generation of Structural Eurocodes, where climate and weather information can be built into the standard and set out in National Annexes as Nationally Determined Parameters (NDPs). That matters because it reduces local interpretation work, but it also means national bodies need to keep the values coherent for their territory.

Clause 6.3 covers the case where standards users must source climate or weather data themselves and then analyse averages, extremes, or other values. Clause 6.4 covers standards that use fixed thresholds, such as wind-speed limits, and shows why those thresholds may still need review if exceedance becomes more frequent under climate change.

How climate data should be chosen and interpreted

Clause 7 distinguishes raw hazard data from processed hazard data. It lists examples of processed information such as flood depth, sea-level rise, storm surge, humidity, lightning counts, hail counts, temperature range, vegetation growth rates, and solar gain. For practice, this means users should not assume model outputs are directly usable - they may need transformed indicators that fit the engineering question.

Clause 7.2 emphasizes systemic risk and cascading effects. A single climate event can affect several connected assets or services, so the document encourages users to look beyond one component and consider the wider infrastructure system, alternative load paths, backup routes, and early warning measures.

How climate projections are turned into usable data

Clause 8 explains the pathway from climate scenarios to climate information for infrastructure. It describes climate scenarios, climate models, downscaling, impact modelling, and climate data processing, including bias adjustment and regridding. This matters because model output is not yet design data; it needs transformation before it can support planning or structural decisions.

Clause 8.4 and 8.5 are especially practical. They explain that global and regional climate models operate at different spatial scales, that downscaling can add regional detail, and that bias adjustment is used to reduce mismatch between model output and observations. The document also warns that post-processing can affect trends and extremes, so users need to understand what has been done to the data before using it in design.

Clause 8.7 identifies the climate products most often used for infrastructure: climate indicators, return periods, scaling factors, and Typical Meteorological Years (TMY). Clause 8.8 points to the main sources of data, including national meteorological and hydrological services, national climate projections, international sources, and the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S). Clause 8.9 then explains why cross-border projects may need harmonised pan-European datasets instead of relying only on national datasets.

How climate change is built into design and risk decisions

Clause 9 focuses on flexibility. It supports standards that can take advantage of newer climate science instead of locking in outdated data. Clause 9.4 explains the use of factors of change to adjust static data for anticipated variations, and Annex D develops that method for climatic load maps in Structural Eurocodes.

Clause 10 connects climate data with risk assessment, vulnerability assessment, design or reference years, adaptation pathways, and frequency or thresholds. In practice, that means the document is not only about finding data - it is also about deciding how to use that data when assessing impacts, choosing adaptation options, and checking whether a threshold may be exceeded more often in future.

What terms does SIST-TP CEN/TR 18365:2026 define?

• Climate - the statistical description of weather over a period of time, usually over many years.
• Climatic action map - a map that gives characteristic values of climatic actions for structural design.
• Climate projection - a simulated response of the climate system to future emissions or concentration scenarios.
• Climate change adaptation - the process of adjusting to actual or expected climate and its effects.
• Risk - the effect of uncertainty on objectives or outcomes.
• Impact - an effect on natural or human systems, including infrastructure and services.
• Vulnerability - a tendency to be harmed, including limited ability to cope or adapt.
• Hazard - a potential source of harm, usually a climate-related event, trend, or physical impact.

Who uses SIST-TP CEN/TR 18365:2026?

SIST-TP CEN/TR 18365:2026 is aimed at infrastructure owners, designers, operators, and maintainers who need climate data for planning, design, operation, or upkeep. It is also meant for staff in central and regional authorities responsible for infrastructure in CEN/CENELEC-associated countries.

National standards bodies and authorities involved in National Annexes are another key audience, because the report discusses how climate data can be set or harmonised in standards. It is also relevant to designers of cross-border infrastructure systems, where differing national datasets can lead to inconsistent design assumptions at the interfaces between countries.

What does the SIST-TP CEN/TR 18365:2026 document contain?

The document contains a structured explanation of how climate data move from climate scenarios and climate models into usable infrastructure information. It includes a process flow figure in Clause 8, uncertainty discussion in Clause 8.4, and a comparison of CMIP5 and CMIP6 projections.

It also contains practical tables and examples in the annexes. Annex B lists organizations that draft their own standards and codes of practice, Annex C compares emission scenarios with warming level scenarios, and Annex D provides formulas and a worked example for factors of change applied to climatic load maps. Those parts are especially useful for design teams and standards writers who need to turn climate projections into national or project-specific design data.

SLOVENSKI STANDARD
01-december-2026
Prilagajanje podnebnim spremembam - Smernice za uporabo podnebnih podatkov
v standardih za infrastrukturo
Adaptation to climate change - Guidelines on using climate data in infrastructure
standards
Anpassung an die Folgen des Klimawandels - Leitlinien zur Verwendung von Klimadaten
in Infrastrukturstandards
Adaptation au changement climatique - Lignes directrices relatives à l'utilisation des
données climatiques dans les normes d'infrastructure
Ta slovenski standard je istoveten z: CEN/TR 18365:2026
ICS:
01.120 Standardizacija. Splošna Standardization. General
pravila rules
13.020.40 Onesnaževanje, nadzor nad Pollution, pollution control
onesnaževanjem in and conservation
ohranjanje
2003-01.Slovenski inštitut za standardizacijo. Razmnoževanje celote ali delov tega standarda ni dovoljeno.

CEN/TR 18365
TECHNICAL REPORT
RAPPORT TECHNIQUE
September 2026
TECHNISCHER REPORT
ICS 01.120; 13.020.40
English Version
Adaptation to climate change - Guidelines on using climate
data in infrastructure standards
Adaptation au changement climatique - Lignes Anpassung an die Folgen des Klimawandels - Leitlinien
directrices relatives à l'utilisation des données zur Verwendung von Klimadaten in
climatiques dans les normes d'infrastructure Infrastrukturstandards

This Technical Report was approved by CEN on 17 August 2026. It has been drawn up by the Technical Committee CEN/TC 467.

CEN members are the national standards bodies of Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia,
Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway,
Poland, Portugal, Republic of North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Türkiye and
United Kingdom.
EUROPEAN COMMITTEE FOR STANDARDIZATION
COMITÉ EUROPÉEN DE NORMALISATION

EUROPÄISCHES KOMITEE FÜR NORMUNG

CEN-CENELEC Management Centre: Rue de la Science 23, B-1040 Brussels
© 2026 CEN All rights of exploitation in any form and by any means reserved Ref. No. CEN/TR 18365:2026 E
worldwide for CEN national Members.

Page
Contents
European foreword . 4
Introduction . 5
1 Scope . 7
2 Normative references . 7
3 Terms and definitions . 7
4 Policy and standardization frameworks . 9
4.1 General . 9
4.2 Structural Eurocodes . 10
4.3 Second Generation of Structural Eurocodes . 11
5 Other standardization deliverables . 12
6 How climate data are used in standards . 13
6.1 General . 13
6.2 Climate and weather information are featured in standards . 13
6.3 Standards’ users are required to source relevant data . 13
6.4 Standards set thresholds that are not affected by the climate . 14
7 Hazard data . 14
7.1 General . 14
7.2 Systemic risk and cascading effects . 15
7.3 Hazard types . 15
7.3.1 Chronic vs acute hazards . 15
7.3.2 Extreme vs averages . 15
7.3.3 Best vs worst cases . 16
7.3.4 Sudden onset changes and tipping points . 16
8 Data sources . 16
8.1 General . 16
8.2 Generation of climate data for infrastructure management . 17
8.3 Climate scenarios. 18
8.3.1 General . 18
8.3.2 Representative Concentration and Shared Socioeconomic Pathways . 18
8.3.3 Global warming levels vs climate scenarios . 19
8.4 Climate modelling . 20
8.5 Climate data processing . 23
8.6 Impact modelling . 24
8.7 Generation of climate information relevant for infrastructure . 25
8.8 Climate information sources for infrastructure resilience . 25
8.9 Pan-European data vs national data . 26
8.10 Quality – robustness/ competence . 27
9 Flexibility concerning data . 28
9.1 General . 28
9.2 Dealing with future developments in climate science and infrastructure
knowledge . 28
9.3 Static data . 28
9.4 Accounting for anticipated variations . 28
10 Addressing impacts and risks . 29
10.1 General . 29
10.2 Risk assessments . 29
10.3 Vulnerability, impacts and risk assessment. 30
10.4 Design/ reference year . 30
10.5 Adaptation pathways . 31
10.6 Frequency / thresholds. 31
Annex A (informative) Policy and standardization frameworks . 33
Annex B (informative) Examples of organizations that draft their own standards and
codes of practice. 35
Annex C (informative) Comparison of emission and warming level scenarios . 37
Annex D (informative) Factors of change for climatic load maps in Structural Eurocodes
........................................................................................................................................................................ 38
Bibliography . 43

European foreword
This document (CEN/TR 18365:2026) has been prepared by Technical Committee CEN/TC 467 Climate
Change, the secretariat of which is held by UNI.
Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be the subject of
patent rights. CEN shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.
Any feedback and questions on this document should be directed to the users’ national standards body.
A complete listing of these bodies can be found on the CEN website.

Introduction
The increase in damage caused by climate change as well as the geopolitical and security landscape, is
forcing Europeans to ask not only how climate change will affect future generations but also what we
must prepare for today. This involves possible disruptions to the economy, the supply chain, and society,
underscoring the significance of coordinated and common EU efforts to tackle these issues. As stated by
Special Adviser Niinistö in the report "Safer together: a path towards a fully prepared Union", the EU's
preparedness is urgent, and we need to awaken to a new, unstable reality [1].
The World Economic Forum estimates that climate change impacts are likely to cause 14,5 million more
deaths and $12,5 trillion in economic losses worldwide by 2050, as projections indicate higher
morbidity and mortality from climate-intensified natural disasters [2]. Exposure to global warming of
3°C above preindustrial levels would result in an annual wellfare loss in the EU of 175 billion EUR, 1,38%
of the EU Gross domestic product (GDP) [3]. The Copernicus Climate Change Service reported that 2024
is the first year to exceed 1,5°C above pre-industrial level, with a high increase in extreme temperatures
[4]. Climate change mitigation-related legislation and regulation initiatives have therefore steadily
increased over the past few years, as noted in the assessment by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate
Change [5].
There is scientific consensus that climate change is happening and humans are the cause. The extent of
climate change that we can expect will be a result of how effective we are at climate change mitigation
through reducing our emissions and removing carbon (or equivalent) from our atmosphere. Not
knowing how effective we will be at doing so creates considerable uncertainty about what we can
expect. In addition, given the time lag between emissions and impacts, there is a need to adapt to the
inevitable future climate change that is already locked in or "committed" resulting from past emissions.
This uncertainty is a product of the complexities in predicting how the climate and earth’s ecosystems
will react, as well as predicting the extent to which human behaviours will be able to respond (both in
reducing carbon in the atmosphere, and in developing adaptation measures).
In terms of infrastructure and the built environment, rapid changes in climate as evidenced in recent
years and long infrastructure life cycles means that infrastructure owners, designers, operators and
maintainers will need to consider projected climate data in standards. It can seem difficult for users of
standards to find and use practical and reliable data about future climate conditions. Additionally,
climate data that can be sourced are not necessarily aligned to the needs of the standardization sector
or the intended end users. However, those working on standards are already very familiar with ensuring
weather risks have been considered appropriately. Climate change brings a different dimension to this.
Users of this Technical Report can gain a level of understanding about what is available in terms of
climate data, and how to use these data to design, operate and maintain infrastructure in a safe, climate-
resilient way. The Technical Report permits informed choices to be made by infrastructure owners,
designers, operators and maintainers as to whether they need to engage specialist expertise at any stage
of the infrastructure life cycle, such as:
— Climate adaptation infrastructure experts;
— Climate data providers;
— Meteorological service providers;
— Climate service providers.
In any case, those that commission such expert services ought to assure themselves that service
providers are competent in the expert area chosen.
This Technical Report has ten principal areas set out in the main body. They are as follows:
— Policy and standardization frameworks;
— Other standardization deliverables;
— How climate data are used in standards;
— Hazard data;
— Data sources;
— Flexibility concerning data;
— Addressing impacts and risks.
1 Scope
This document specifies what climate data from climate projections are and where to find relevant
climate data suited for infrastructure climate adaptation and resilience-building needs. This document
gives support to both standards users and standards writers (with the emphasis on standards users)
whether detailed climate data and information is specified in a standard, such as in a National Annex, or
the standard requires the user to determine relevant climate data and information as a separate
exercise. This document is relevant to all climate system data. Users of this Technical Report can also
find this document helpful in dealing with derived climate system data, e.g. atmospheric pollution,
flooding, ground water levels, wave heights. In addition, guidance is provided for designers of cross-
border infrastructure systems, for example on the harmonisation of climate data used.
This document is intended for infrastructure owners, designers, operators and maintainers and staff of
central/ regional authorities who are responsible for infrastructure within countries that are associated
with CEN/CENELEC. Users includes the national standards’ bodies and authorities who will be
responsible for the use of climate data in national annexes to standards.
The document does not define or prescribe the broader climate service delivery process, co-production
methodologies, or stakeholder engagement practices.
2 Normative references
There are no normative references in this document.
3 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the following terms and definitions apply.
ISO and IEC maintain terminology databases for use in standardization at the following addresses:
• ISO Online browsing platform: available at http://www.iso.org/obp
• IEC Electropedia: available at http://www.electropedia.org/
3.1
climate
statistical description of weather in terms of the mean and variability of relevant quantities over a
period of time ranging from months to thousands or millions of years
Note 1 to entry: The classical period for averaging these variables is 30 years, as defined by the World
Meteorological Organization.
Note 2 to entry: The relevant quantities are most often near-surface variables such as temperature, precipitation
and wind.
[SOURCE: EN ISO 14090:2019 [6], Definition 3.4]
3.2
climatic action map
representation of an area providing the characteristic values of climatic actions to be used for structural
design
Note 1 to entry: According to the definition in EN 1990-1:2023+A1:2026 [7] , characteristic values of climatic
actions are based upon a 2% probability that its time-varying part is exceeded during a one-year reference period.
3.3
weather
state of the atmosphere at a particular time, as defined by the various meteorological elements,
including temperature, precipitation, atmospheric pressure, wind and humidity
3.4
climate change
change in climate (3.1) that persists for an extended period, typically decades or longer
Note 1 to entry: Climate change can be identified by such means as statistical tests (e.g. on changes in the mean,
variability).
Note 2 to entry: Climate change might be due to natural processes, internal to the climate system, or external
forcing such as modulations of the solar cycles, volcanic eruptions, and persistent anthropogenic changes in the
composition of the atmosphere or in land use.
[SOURCE: EN ISO 14090:2019 [6], Definition 3.5]
3.5
climate model
qualitative or quantitative representation of the climate system (3.6) based on the physical, chemical
and biological properties of its components, their interactions and feedback processes and accounting
for some of its known properties
[SOURCE: IPCC, 2021: Annex VII: Glossary [8]]
3.6
climate system
global system consisting of five major components: the atmosphere, the hydrosphere, the cryosphere,
the lithosphere and the biosphere and the interactions between them
[SOURCE: IPCC, 2021: Annex VII: Glossary [8]]
3.7
climate projection
simulated response of the climate system (3.6) to a scenario of future emissions or concentrations of
greenhouse gases (GHGs) and aerosols and changes in land use, generally derived using climate models
(3.5)
[SOURCE: IPCC, 2021: Annex VII: Glossary [8]]
3.8
climate change mitigation
human intervention to reduce emissions or enhance the sinks of greenhouse gases
Note 1 to entry: Regardless of the efforts to mitigate climate change, Europe's future will see a notably altered and
potentially very different climate. The effects of climate change are already occurring, advancing faster than
projected, and are expected to increase in both frequency and magnitude.
[SOURCE: IPCC, 2021: Annex VII: Glossary [8]]
3.9
climate change adaptation
process of adjustment to actual or expected climate and its effects
[SOURCE: EN ISO 14090:2019 [6], Definition 3.1]
3.10
risk
effect of uncertainty
Note 1 to entry: An effect is a deviation from the expected. It can be positive, negative or both. An effect can arise
as a result of a response, or failure to respond, to an opportunity or to a threat related to objectives.
Note 2 to entry: Uncertainty is the state, even partial, of deficiency of information related to, understanding or
knowledge of, an event, its consequence, or likelihood.
[SOURCE: EN ISO 14091:2021 [9], Definition 3.13]
3.11
impact
effect on natural and human systems
Note 1 to entry: In the context of climate change (3.4), the term "impact" is used primarily to refer to the effects on
natural and human systems of extreme weather and climate events and of climate change. Impacts generally refer
to effects on lives, livelihoods, health, ecosystems, economies, societies, cultures, services and infrastructure due
to the interaction of climate change or hazardous climate events occurring within a specific time period and the
vulnerability (3.12) of an exposed society or system. Impacts are also referred to as consequences and outcomes.
The impacts of climate change on geophysical systems, including floods, droughts and sea level rise, are a subset
of impacts called "physical impacts".
[SOURCE: EN ISO 14090:2019 [6], Definition 3.8]
3.12
vulnerability
propensity or predisposition to be adversely affected
Note 1 to entry: Vulnerability encompasses a variety of concepts and elements including sensitivity or
susceptibility to harm and lack of capacity to cope and adapt.
[SOURCE: EN ISO 14090:2019 [6], Definition 3.15]
3.13
hazard
potential source of harm
Note 1 to entry: The potential for harm can be in terms of loss of life, injury or other health impacts, as well as
damage and loss to property, infrastructure, livelihoods, service provision, ecosystems and environmental
resources.
Note 2 to entry: In this document, the term usually refers to climate-related physical events or trends or their
physical impacts.
Note 3 to entry: Hazard comprises slow-onset developments (e.g. rising temperatures over the long term) as well
as rapidly developing climatic extremes (e.g. a heatwave or a landslide) or increased variability.
[SOURCE: EN ISO 14090:2019 [6], Definition 3.7]
4 Policy and standardization frameworks
4.1 General
The construction ecosystem is central to the European Union's (EU) strategic goals, underpinning
societal wellbeing and economic resilience. As detailed in Annex A, the EU's response to escalating
climate risks involves multiple initiatives to integrate climate adaptation into buildings and
infrastructure. The European Green Deal and the legally binding European Climate Law set the
framework for achieving climate neutrality by 2050, mandating Member States to reduce vulnerabilities
and build adaptive capacity. The EU Adaptation Strategy highlights the need for climate-resilient
infrastructure, updated standards, and risk-aware spatial planning.
Complementary initiatives include the EU Missions on Climate Adaptation, aiming to support 150
regions in becoming climate-resilient by 2030, and the New European Bauhaus, which promotes
sustainable, inclusive, and aesthetic solutions.
The European Climate Risk Assessment (EUCRA) provides a comprehensive assessment of the major
climate risks facing Europe today and in the future. It identifies major 36 climate risks that threaten our
energy and food security, ecosystems, infrastructure, water resources, financial systems, and people's
health. The report also seeks to help identify priorities for future adaptation-related investments and
provide an EU-wide point of reference for assessing climate threats, urging climate-proof design change
related risks and updated standards. The revised Construction Products Regulation of 2024 facilitates
sustainability while easing burdens on Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs). Infrastructure-
specific strategies such as the trans-European transport network (TEN-T) Regulation and the Critical
Entities Resilience Directive integrate climate risk and adaptation into trans-European networks.
Standardization plays a key role in achieving a climate neutral, resilient and circular economy in the
context of infrastructure and the built environment, with the Eurocodes forming the backbone of EU
construction safety standards. Updated guidance will mandate the integration of future climate data into
infrastructure design. Research by the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission support the
uptake of climate adaptation into standardization for the built environment by elaborating pilot studies
on climatic loading trends on structures and on adverse phenomena triggered by the climate change.
Results highlight the need to update the climatic loading for structural design in Europe and address
climate-change induced corrosion. These coordinated efforts, underpinned by the European
Preparedness Union Strategy and the EU Strategic Agenda 2024–2029, affirm the EU’s commitment to
building a climate-resilient built environment.
4.2 Structural Eurocodes
The Structural Eurocodes (often referred to as ‘Eurocodes’) are a series of 10 European Standards, EN
1990, EN 1991 to EN 1999, providing a common approach for the design of buildings and other civil
engineering works and construction products. The European Commission has supported, from the very
beginning in 1975, the development and elaboration of the Eurocodes, and contributed to the funding
of their drafting. The publication of the Eurocodes by CEN in May 2007 marked a major milestone in the
European standardization for the construction sector, since the Eurocodes introduced common
technical rules for calculating the mechanical and fire resistance, and the stability of constructions and
construction products. The set of Eurocodes are also distinguished as a tool for accelerating the process
of convergence of different national and regional regulatory approaches. In the Commission
Recommendation 2003/887/EC2 on the implementation and use of Eurocodes for construction works
and structural construction products, the European Commission recommends that Member States:
— Adopt the set of Eurocodes as a suitable tool for designing construction works, checking the
mechanical resistance of components, or checking the stability of structures.
— Refer to the Eurocodes in their national provisions for conformity assessment.
In fact, the Eurocodes are the recommended means of giving a presumption of conformity with the basic
requirements of the Construction Products Regulation (CPR) for construction works and products that
bear the CE marking, in particular the Basic Requirements "Mechanical resistance and stability" and
"Safety in case of fire". The objective of the CPR is to achieve the proper functioning of the internal
market for construction products by establishing harmonized rules on how to express their
performance. In addition, the Eurocodes are the preferred reference for technical specifications in
public work contracts in the EU and EFTA countries. Voluntary application of standards is one of the
founding principles of the European Standardization. However, the national legislative provisions can
refer to standards making the compliance with them compulsory. Thus, in relation to the
implementation procedure of the Eurocodes Parts, it is important to stress that the regulatory
environment in each country is very important. In the different regulatory environments, the national
regulations either refer to standards – thus making the compliance with them compulsory – or introduce
directly a set of design rules. In the latter case, no National Standards exist, and hence there is no need
to withdraw conflicting standards. Contrary, there are countries where the rules for structural design
are enforced by legislative acts, i.e., national regulations.
An enquiry performed by the European Commission in 2014 to 2015 aiming to establish the state of
implementation of the Eurocodes in the EU Member States in their specific regulatory and
standardization environment, and their place in Public Procurement, showed that the Eurocodes were
already accepted as National Standards in the EU Member States by that period [10]. In more than half
of the analyzed countries, the National legislative provisions referred to standards and, in many cases,
made compliance with them compulsory. The enquiry clearly showed two main approaches in the
national implementation of the Eurocodes: as voluntary National Standards and via a Regulatory
Framework, which encompasses different number of Parts in the different countries. Furthermore,
more than a half of the analyzed countries reported a good place of the Eurocodes in Public Procurement
at a national level. The Eurocodes recognize the responsibility of regulatory authorities in each Member
State and have safeguarded their right to determine values related to regulatory safety matters at a
national level. The National Standard transposing the Eurocode Part, when published by a National
Standards Body, is composed of the Eurocode text (preceded by a National Title page and by a National
Foreword), generally followed by a National Annex (NA) that contains the Nationally Determined
Parameters (NDPs) to a given Eurocode part. The Eurocodes provide minimum requirements and
National Annexes can give additional requirements and recommendations. It is worth underlining the
role of the National Standards Bodies of the countries implementing the Eurocodes which are
responsible for setting up the NDPs values and publishing the National Annexes, on behalf of and with
the agreement of the national competent authorities. Currently, EN 1991 Actions on structures contains
127 NDPs relevant for the definition of the climatic actions in the Eurocodes. The concerned NDPs are
present in three parts of EN 1991, namely parts 1-3 General Actions – Snow loads, 1-4 – General Actions
– Wind actions and 1-5 General Actions – Thermal actions. Examples of NDPs related for the definition
of the climatic actions in the Eurocodes are maps of the characteristic value of snow load on the ground
(snow load maps), maps for the fundamental value of the basic wind velocity (wind maps) and maps of
annual minimum and annual maximum shade air temperature (thermal maps).]
4.3 Second Generation of Structural Eurocodes
In 2012, the European Commission issued the Mandate M/515 for amending existing Eurocodes and
extending the scope of structural Eurocodes. In 2014, CEN/TC 250 on Structural Eurocodes embarked
on a large-scale project anticipated to last six years or longer to answer the request of Mandate M/515,
which is leading to the development of the second generation of the structural Eurocodes. CEN/TC 250
successfully completed the largest Standardization Request under M/515 at the end of 2022, and the
definitive text of the second generation of the structural Eurocodes parts approved by formal vote,
became available for National Standard Bodies by 30 March 2026. The date of publication for all 2G
Eurocode parts will be for all the 30 September 2027.
The Mandate M/515 recognised climate change effects as a key aspect for structural design, to be
embraced within the second generation of the structural Eurocodes with the aim to increase resilience
of long-life infrastructure assets. An Ad Hoc Group (AHG) "Climate Change" was established by CEN/TC
250 in 2020 to elaborate a common approach to cover climate change impact across EN 1991 parts
related to climatic actions. The AHG developed a set of recommendations based on the latest available
research outcomes, clarifying that current climatic action maps or other guidance did notcover climate
change and proposing the use of the factors of change. The above recommendations were approved by
CEN/TC 250 and passed to its Sub-Committee 1 to be implemented in the climatic action standards.
The treatment of climate change was thus included in the second generation of the structural Eurocodes
parts related to climatic actions by introducing the factor of change approach as the default method.
This method consists of applying a scaling or delta factor to the characteristic values of the action given
by the code, and can be adopted, further detailed or modified by the CEN member states. Factors of
change to address the impact of a changing climate are introduced in the second generation of the
Structural Eurocodes final drafts of EN 1991-1-3 [11] for ground snow loads, EN 1991-1-4 [12] for
fundamental basic wind velocity, EN 1991-1-5 [13] for maximum and minimum shade air temperature,
and in EN 1991-1-9 [14] for atmospheric icing. These parts of EN 1991 include a clause with additional
project-specific requirements to account for the effects of climate change which can be specified by the
relevant authority or agreed upon by relevant parties for specific projects. At the time of publication of
this document, these EN standards have not yet been published by the national standardization bodies.
The second generation of Structural Eurocodes, and more in detail EN 1990-1:2023+A1:2026 [7]
,include specific requirements for providing sufficient levels of robustness to structures designed
according to the Eurocodes. EN 1990-1:2023+A1:2026 [7] in paragraph 4.4 states: “A structure should
be designed to have an adequate level of robustness so that, during its design service life it will not be
damaged by unforeseen adverse events, such as the failure or collapse of a structural member or part of a
structure, to an extent disproportionate to the original cause.”. Climate change related effects on
structures can be interpreted as “unforeseen adverse events” due to the uncertainties in their
quantification, therefore provisions in the Eurocodes to provide robustness are carefully considered.
Further guidance on the achievement of adequate level of robustness is given in the informative Annex
E to EN 1990-1:2023+A1:2026 [7] , and more detailed guidance is expected to be given in the National
Annexes to the Eurocodes. CEN member states are thus invited to consider a detailed implementation
framework at national level of robustness provisions also in view of the limitation of the impact of
climate related adverse events.
5 Other standardization deliverables
European Standards have historically been developed through the European Committee for
Standardization (CEN) and the European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardization (CENELEC) in
response to mandates issued by the European Commission. In 2012, the European Commission issued
for example Mandate M/526 to enhance climate resilience by emphasizing alignment with EU policies
such as the Green Deal and climate adaptation, integrating new knowledge and technologies, and
incorporating safety, resilience, and sustainability into energy, transport, and the built environment.
These mandates are driven by regulatory or policy objectives, such as harmonising the internal market
or addressing societal challenges like climate change.
Key milestones in their development include:
— 1980s–1990s: Concentration on harmonizing product and safety standards to support the Single
Market.
— 2000s–2010s: Growing emphasis on sustainability, performance-based design, and digitalisation,
such as Building Information Modeling (BIM).
— Post-2010s: Transition towards resilience, lifecycle thinking, and alignment with climate
adaptation and mitigation goals.
Additionally, 'other standards' encompass any written instruction, rule, specification, or guideline not
drafted by national standards bodies like NSBs or CEN/CENELEC. They can be drafted internally by an
organization for their own specific use or for application across a sector or industry. Examples of
organizations that draft their own standards and codes of practice are given in Annex B. The standards
can be drafted by consensus across a wide set of stakeholders and can be imposed or applied voluntarily
or they can be issued without agreement. Such documents can apply to supply chains and be written to
contracts.
Other standards can refer to climate data or processed climate data, e.g. return periods for flood risk
and drainage assessments, heat thresholds for buildings, wind speed limits for safe operation of airport
equipment and durability specifications for cabling. Standards' users can wish to familiarise themselves
with the methodologies used to derive such data. These other standards would benefit from adopting
the counsel offered in this Technical Report.
In addition, organizations like the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), the
International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), the International Telecommunication Union (ITU),
and the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) develop
essential global standards for infrastructure, covering areas such as construction, energy systems, and
smart technologies. National bodies such as UNE (Spain), BSI (UK), and DIN (Germany) typically adopt
or adapt these international standards, ensuring alignment with local regulations while maintaining
global consistency. NSBs would:
a) Directly adopt international standards as national standards;
b) Adapt them with modifications for local relevance; or,
c) Translate and harmonize them to ensure consistency with national legislation.
This process ensures technical coherence, supports international interoperability, and promotes global
best practices in infrastructure development.
6 How climate data are used in standards
6.1 General
Climate and weather data are crucial for implementing standards related to climate impacts. Research
conducted during the preparation of this Technical Report identified three common approaches
employed by standards writers:
— Climate and weather data are featured in the standard;
— Standards’ users are required to source relevant data;
— Standards set thresholds that are not affected by the climate.
These approaches are described further below.
6.2 Climate and weather information are featured in standards
The second generation of Structural Eurocodes promote the method of featuring climate and weather
information in standards, specifying climate criteria for infrastructure designers to adhere to. The
criteria relate to variables directly computed by climate models such as temperatures, wind speeds and
snow loading where characteristic loadings are given in the codes.
In this way, work for infrastructure designers is reduced as relevant data are offered, which can be set
out in annexes as nationally determined parameters (NDPs). National standards’ bodies (NSB) have a
right to determine NDPs and these annexes can be useful as local conditions are specified.
In the Second Generation Structural Eurocodes, there are clauses about additional project-specific
requirements to account for the effects of climate change. These clauses permit requirements to be
specified by relevant authorities and climate experts including methods to be agreed for specific
projects as mentioned in 4.3. This approach is considered as a model for other standards as it offers
ways to keep track of developing science and knowledge.
Benefits:
— Flexibility in approach enables highly detailed, place-specific data for projects
— At its simplest application, standards users do not need to carry out research into the relevant
thresholds and ranges of climate data, as these are predefined in standards
— For more general application, data will be available that allows the standards' users to take into
account future climate hazards
Disadvantages:
— Uncertainties in climate projections and downscaling limits can result in extreme values from
granular approaches
— Potential inconsistencies arise when different projects in similar areas or sectors employ varying
approaches, impacting design data consistency
— NDPs can lack consistency, posing challenges for international infrastructure systems across
national boundaries
6.3 Standards’ users are required to source relevant data
This is where standards guide users to source a range of climate or weather data then analyze, for
example, which averages and extremes there can be on a location. An example is the series of standards
under ISO 15927 Hygrothermal performance of buildings - Calculation and presentation of climatic data.
Benefits:
— Standards users can determine the best way, for them, to determine the relevant data for their
project
— Locally sourced data can be used
— Highly granular climate and weather data can be derived
Disadvantages:
— Unless potential downsides are identified in the standard, adherence to such an approach might
result in spurious data leading to sub-optimal or at the extreme, unsafe designs
— Potential for a lack of consistency from project to project leading to unreliable performance,
perhaps within a wider infrastructure system
— No guidelines yet exist on how to address this approach
6.4 Standards set thresholds that are not affected by the climate
Some infrastructure standards specify performance criteria related to thresholds and ranges of climate
data such as maximum wind speeds. This means that the parameters are determined independently of
the climate. This is the case in the example of EN 1915-1:2013 [15] Aircraft ground support equipment –
General requirements - Part 1: Basic safety requirements. Here a wind speed threshold is stated which is
not ‘future climate data’ dependent. However, this threshold can change as the extent and frequency of
climate events changes; the future frequency of exceedance of this threshold might have a bearing on
airport operations, necessitating more frequent safety-related suspension of operations.
Benefits:
— Standards users do not need to carry out research into the relevant thresholds and ranges of
climate data; these are specified
Disadvantages:
— This approach can lead to unintended consequences where thresholds or ranges of climate
parameters are exceeded more frequently; operations might become unreliable and inconsistent,
for example
— Updating standards to keep up with, for example, the increased frequency of climate events, would
require a more flexible approach, which, in turn could be a benefit
7 Hazard data
7.1 General
Hazard data can ideally be presented in a format that is tailored to the users' knowledge and skills. It is
important to note that different types of hazard data can be utilized, such as raw data and processed
data.
In terms of raw hazard data, users need to evaluate the data's origin and determine its suitability for
specific tasks. Considerations include whether extreme values are necessary, if averages are
appropriate, and if further processing is needed to extract meaningful parameters.
Examples of processed data include:
— Flooding - water depth, duration and discharge quantities variously for fluvial, s
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