Open Geo Data/Letter
From Open Knowledge Foundation
Talking Points for a Letter on INSPIRE
This page is intended as a guideline for those people who are interested in composing a letter to their MEP on the subject of the proposed INSPIRE Directive on spatial data infrastructure in Europe. We're haven't composed a form letter as this will be ignored by MPs and MEPs, but we have assembled the following points regarding the proposed legislation. that you might wish to touch on with regards to INSPIRE. Please feel free to add to this list.
- Directive is one-sided and damages important information providers: The core communities affected by this legislation haven't been properly consulted. The draft in existence has been composed largely by national mapping agency bodies. However the proposed Directive impacts many different fields of environmental information providers, such as oceanographic and meterological agencies, many of whom have asked for exemption from the Directive because it negatively affects their existing worldwide data-sharing agreements.
- Directive is unclear and leaves many key issues to be decided later without consultation: The draft Directive makes many references to "the implementing rules" that make them binding on the signatories (?? RP: make what binding??). Yet the "implementing rules" are undecided; no provision has been made for a standards process that is open, and that will ensure adequate participation of core constitutencies. Nevertheless these future standards, will be binding.
- Major changes to pricing structure can be determined by Commission without consultation: Article 24 on "common licensing conditions" essentially allows the Commission to establish a common cost-recovery pricing policy throughout Europe, with consultancy only from its expert group and no mandatory recourse to Parliament, within three months from a time of its choosing.
European Contact Information
The INSPIRE proposed Directive is going through the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety of the European Parliament. On this list of its members national MEPs can be located.
The Rapporteur responsible for INSPIRE in the committee is Frederika Brepoels MEP (Belgium - EPP-ED) mailto:fbrepoels@europarl.eu.int
Ms Brepoels assistant that is handling INSPIRE matters is: Ms Karlien De Turck mailto:fbrepoels-assistant2@europarl.eu.int
The Shadow Rapporteurs are:
Maria Sornosa Martinez MEP (Spain - Partido Socialista Obrero Espanol) mailto:msornosa@europarl.eu.int
Satu Hassi MEP (Finland - Green Party) mailto:shassi@europarl.eu.int WWW URL: www.satuhassi.net
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