Towards a European Shared Environmental Information System in Support of Environmental Policies: INSPIRE: an Inspired revolution for a knowledge-based environmental policy Meropi PANELI Sustainable Development and Integration Directorate-General Environment EEA?EIONET WORKSHOP ON SDIs, 21 November 2006

(1) (1) SEIS concept and purpose (2) (2) Elements to achieve the vision (3) (3) SEIS, INSPIRE and Data Centres This presentation talks about:

The SEIS is to support policy development, implementation and monitoring at local, regional to global levels The Challenge √ √ Improve availability and quality of information needed to develop and implement Community environment policy √ √ Reduce administrative burden on Member States and EU institutions & modernise reporting √ √ Develop services and applications that all of us can use and profit from. European Commission – DG Environment- Sustainable Development and Integration Directorate

What is the SEIS? A deep blue sea…….. SEIS is a vision for building an integrated, modern, common, shared and sustained infrastructure for environmental information in Europe with access and sharing between national public authorities and the EU institutions in the first instance, the public and the private sector to be progressively integrated European Commission – DG Environment- Sustainable Development and Integration Directorate agreed by European Policy Review Group (EPRG), July 2005

SEIS will serve 4 main purposes: Increase the knowledge-basis for a better design of environmental policy Improve the information necessary for better implementation of the environmental acquis Offer Community Institutions, Member States and environmental policy-makers and implementers at local level an efficient and modern infrastructure for the exchange, use and dissemination of environmental information Offer EU as a whole a modern infrastructure as a contribution to international environmental conventions and monitoring initiatives (e.g. GEO, Biodiversity conventions) European Commission – DG Environment- Sustainable Development and Integration Directorate

SEIS relies on 3 pillars:   a common infrastructure, rules & tools for data sharing to ensure that data can be easily located, accessed and exploited by a wide range of users   cost-effective and coherent monitoring and modelling to ensure adequate provision and quality of the required data   updated and streamlined reporting and monitoring requirements, coherent with the overall system European Commission – DG Environment- Sustainable Development and Integration Directorate

Progress on the 3 pillars:   a common infrastructure, rules & tools: INSPIRE, Group of 4   cost-effective and coherent monitoring: role of Thematic strategies and cross-cutting policies, research, streamlining indicators   updated and streamlined reporting: Review of reporting requirements at EU and international level European Commission – DG Environment- Sustainable Development and Integration Directorate

Infrastructure and rules   Adoption and implementation of INSPIRE: Political level: commitment to sharing between authorities as a foundation for further streamlining – Increasing public access Technical level: Development of Common Infrastructure (based on MSs infrast) rules and tools, underpinned by INSPIRE:   moving towards a decentralised system of inter-connected data bases with access and sharing (Implementing rules for achieving this)   when infrastructure and sharing in operation, and MSs committed to: no need for reporting European Commission – DG Environment- Sustainable Development and Integration Directorate

INSPIRE proposal Directive – –Legal instrument agreed by the Council and the European Parliament from a proposal of the Commission – –It binds the Member States on What is to be achieved, but leaves them the ability to define through national legislation How to get there.

INSPIRE Principles Data should be collected once and maintained at the level where this can be done most effectively Combine seamlessly spatial data from different sources and share it between many users and applications Spatial data should be collected at one level of government and shared between all levels Spatial data needed for good governance should be available on conditions that are not restricting its extensive use It should be easy to discover which spatial data is available, to evaluate its fitness for purpose and to know which conditions apply for its use.

From Commission proposal to Community Directive implementation Preparatory phase ( ) – –Co-decision procedure – –Preparation of Implementing Rules Transposition phase ( ) – –Directive enters into force – –Transposition into national legislation – –INSPIRE Committee starts its activities – –Adoption of Implementation Rules by Commitology Implementation phase ( ) – –implementation and monitoring of measures

Where are we now in the political process? Date for formal Conciliation: TODAY midnight : 21 nov 2006 This follows EP second reading - June 2006 EP proposed a number of amendments These have the aim to address shortcomings with the Council Common Position in relation to the following issues: European Commission – DG Environment- Sustainable Development and Integration Directorate  Procedure for adopting implementing rules on interoperability; uniform application  Public access to data: free-of-charge view services; IPR as ground for limiting access  Sharing between public authorities: need to ensure charging and licensing practices compatible with this overall objective

Conclusions INSPIRE is a framework Directive with Implementing Rules to be defined in the coming years It seeks to make interoperable spatial information readily available in support of environmental policy, and enable public access to this information. We must find away of cooperating across public sector administrations more effectively to address environmental problems, which do not stop at borders. Whilst striving to achieve this objective, legitimate concerns can be addressed through the joint definition of the Implementing Rules. The EC has put in place an unprecedently open and participatory framework to engage all stakeholders in the definition of these rules, So, the best way to have your voice heard is to participate!

And the ambitious vision continues: SEIS: From CONCEPT to REALITY A project for an integrated infrastructure needs an integrated approach. To pass from concept to reality the SEIS needs:   A political framework for an integrated and common implementation strategy and management structure both at EU institutions and Member States   Political commitment and support at high level both in the Community institutions and the Member States to this framework steered by environment policy makers   A clear and coherent legal framework European Commission – DG Environment- Sustainable Development and Integration Directorate

Commission Communication in 2007 It will set out:   the political framework for an integrated and common implementation strategy and   management structure   its links with INSPIRE and reporting streamlining and   will propose work programme and underlining action plan to go from 'Concept to Reality'. European Commission – DG Environment- Sustainable Development and Integration Directorate