Enhancing clarity and usability of ECC Reports

Guidance on drafting clear and usable ECC Reports

ECC Reports are to comply with the relevant template , including for the editorial part and all annexes. ECC Reports with multiple annexes and a high number of pages, make processing and readability a real challenge, especially for outside readers not being involved in the development.

It is important to note that ECC Reports provide the basis for the development of regulatory measures and therefore need to be sound with clear conclusions, agreed between the members of the groups to the maximum extent possible. On a side note, the office pointed out that for technical studies SEAMCAT has been developed and use should be promoted in the groups by this alleviating the difficulties to compare studies based on several methodologies and assumptions.

It is common good practice to include in the main body of the ECC Report a clear summary and synthesis of all the annexes to improve readability and to clarify their status.

The Office is always available during the course of the development of the ECC Report to assist in the application of the template.

In summary it is recommended:

• that the ECC Reports are drafted taking into account the guidance and indications provided in the ECC Report template, both in terms of content and the editorial requirements. The Office will endeavour to support the drafters as needed, including offering newly appointed chairs and rapporteurs an introduction to the template and how to use it in the most efficient and appropriate way.

• that the ECC Reports include sound technical results with clear conclusions, agreed between the members at the maximum extent possible, that can be used as a solid basis for the development of the subsequent regulatory framework.

• to limit the number of annexes, avoiding the inclusion of raw material from input documents. The main body of the ECC Reports should include a clear summary and synthesis of all the annexes, so to highlight the value of the material in the annexes for the derivation of the results.

It is additionally noted that contributions to ECC Groups should be submitted using the templates. Otherwise, the proponents should be required to bring their contributions in the right format before they can be incorporated in the relevant ECC Deliverable.