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WHAT IS THE AIM OF THE DIRECTIVE?

• Directive 2007/2/EC lays down general rules setting up an infrastructure for spatial information¹ in Europe for the purposes of European Union (EU) environmental policies and for policies or activities that may have an impact on the environment.
• The European infrastructure builds on that of spatial information that is established and operated by EU Member States.

KEY POINTS

• The directive applies to spatial data that:
  • cover areas where Member States have jurisdictional rights;
  • exist in electronic format;
  • are held by, or on behalf of, a public authority or another body using the network;
  • relate to environmental information.
• Member States are responsible for ensuring that metadata² are created for the various environmental spatial data³ sets and services listed in the legislation. Depending on the subject, these must be established within 2 or 5 years of the rules coming into force.
• The European Commission, assisted by a committee, adopts the technical arrangements to ensure spatial data sets and services can work together and harmonises them where this can be put into practice.
• These implementing rules were to be adopted no later than 15 May 2009 or 15 May 2012, depending on the subject.
• Member States must establish and operate a network with the following services:
  • discovery: to search for spatial data sets and services;
  • view: to display, navigate, zoom in and out, pan or overlay viewable spatial data sets;
  • download: where this can be put into practice, to access directly and download copies of spatial data sets;
  • transformation: to transform spatial data sets to achieve interoperability.
• Public authorities must be able to link their spatial data sets and services to the national network.
• Member States may limit public access to spatial data sets and services for various reasons, such as legal confidentiality, public security, intellectual property rights or protection of the environment.
• The Commission operates an EU Inspire geoportal, which gives access to the national networks.
• The legislation does not require the collection of new spatial data.

Evaluation

• In July 2022, the Commission published its evaluation staff working document on the implementation of the Inspire directive (2007/2/EC).
• The evaluation was legally required and builds on the 2016 REFIT evaluation of the directive that was published as Commission report COM(2016) 478 final of 20 July 2016.
• The evaluation demonstrated that the Inspire directive is still very relevant for addressing data sharing obstacles from the past and data needs for the future. Against this increasing relevance, it was also shown that the legal framework can be improved in terms of its effectiveness.
• The evaluation will inform the GreenData4All initiative announced in the European strategy for data, for which a call for evidence was launched on 26 February 2024.

FROM WHEN DO THE RULES APPLY?

The directive had to be transposed into national law by 15 May 2009.

BACKGROUND

For further information, see:

• Inspire (European Commission).

KEY TERMS

1. Infrastructure for spatial information. It covers metadata, spatial data sets and spatial data services; network services and technologies; agreements on sharing, access and use; and coordination and monitoring mechanisms, processes and procedures.
2. Metadata. Information describing spatial data sets and spatial data services, making it possible to discover, inventory and use them.
3. Spatial data. Any data with direct or indirect reference to a specific location or geographical area, such as addresses, transport networks, elevation and land use.

MAIN DOCUMENT

Directive 2007/2/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 14 March 2007 establishing an Infrastructure for Spatial Information in the European Community (Inspire) (OJ L 108, 25.4.2007, pp. 1–14).

Successive amendments to Directive 2007/2/EC have been incorporated into the basic text. This consolidated version is of documentary value only.

RELATED DOCUMENTS

Regulation (EU) 2021/696 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 28 April 2021 establishing the Union Space Programme and the European Union Agency for the Space Programme and repealing Regulations (EU) No 912/2010, (EU) No 1285/2013 and (EU) No 377/2014 and Decision No 541/2014/EU (OJ L 170, 12/05/2021, pp. 69–148).

Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2019/1372 of 19 August 2019 implementing Directive 2007/2/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards monitoring and reporting (notified under document C(2019) 6026) (OJ L 220, 23/08/2019, pp. 1–5).

Directive 2014/89/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 July 2014 establishing a framework for maritime spatial planning (OJ L 257, 28.8.2014, pp. 135–145).

Directive 2010/40/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 7 July 2010 on the framework for the deployment of Intelligent Transport Systems in the field of road transport and for interfaces with other modes of transport (OJ L 207, 6.8.2010, pp. 1–13).

See consolidated version.

Directive 2012/18/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 4 July 2012 on the control of major-accident hazards involving dangerous substances, amending and subsequently repealing Council Directive 96/82/EC (OJ L 197, 24.7.2012, pp. 1–37).

Commission Regulation (EU) No 1312/2014 of 10 December 2014 amending Regulation (EU) No 1089/2010 implementing Directive 2007/2/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards interoperability of spatial data services (OJ L 354, 11.12.2014, pp. 8–16).

Commission Regulation (EU) No 1311/2014 of 10 December 2014 amending Regulation (EC) No 976/2009 as regards the definition of an Inspire metadata element (OJ L 354, 11.12.2014, pp. 6–7).

Commission Regulation (EU) No 1253/2013 of 21 October 2013 amending Regulation (EU) No 1089/2010 implementing Directive 2007/2/EC as regards interoperability of spatial data sets and services (OJ L 331, 10.12.2013, pp. 1–267).

Commission Regulation (EU) No 102/2011 of 4 February 2011 amending Regulation (EU) No 1089/2010 implementing Directive 2007/2/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards interoperability of spatial data sets and services (OJ L 31, 5.2.2011, pp. 13–34).

Commission Regulation (EU) No 1088/2010 of 23 November 2010 amending Regulation (EC) No 976/2009 as regards download services and transformation services (OJ L 323, 8.12.2010, pp. 1–10).

Commission Regulation (EU) No 1089/2010 of 23 November 2010 implementing Directive 2007/2/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards interoperability of spatial data sets and services (OJ L 323, 8.12.2010, pp. 11–102).

See consolidated version.

Commission Regulation (EU) No 268/2010 of 29 March 2010 implementing Directive 2007/2/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards the access to spatial data sets and services of the Member States by Community institutions and bodies under harmonised conditions (OJ L 83, 30.3.2010, pp. 8–9).

Commission Regulation (EC) No 976/2009 of 19 October 2009 implementing Directive 2007/2/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards the Network Services (OJ L 274, 20.10.2009, pp. 9–18).

See consolidated version.

Directive 2008/56/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 June 2008 establishing a framework for community action in the field of marine environmental policy (Marine Strategy Framework Directive) (OJ L 164, 25.6.2008, pp. 19–40).

See consolidated version.

Commission Regulation (EC) No 1205/2008 of 3 December 2008 implementing Directive 2007/2/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards metadata (OJ L 326, 4.12.2008, pp. 12–30).

See consolidated version.