Infrastructure for spatial information in the European Community (INSPIRE): certain reporting requirements

PURPOSE: to amend Directive 2007/2/EC as regards certain reporting requirements for infrastructures for spatial information.

PROPOSED ACT: Decision of the European Parliament and of the Council.

ROLE OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT: the European Parliament decides in accordance with the ordinary legislative procedure and on an equal footing with the Council.

BACKGROUND: reporting requirements play a key role in ensuring proper monitoring and correct enforcement of legislation. They can however also impose disproportionate burdens on stakeholders, particularly affecting SMEs and micro-companies, also given organisational and technological developments that call for original reporting requirements to be adjusted. Their cumulation over time can result in redundant, duplicating or obsolete obligations, inefficient frequency and timing, or inadequate methods of collection.

Streamlining reporting obligations and reducing administrative burdens is therefore a priority.

Directive 2007/2/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council lays down general rules aimed at the establishment of the Infrastructure for Spatial Information, for the purposes of Union environmental policies and policies or activities which may have an impact on the environment. The Directive requires Members State to update, if necessary, and publish a report including, among other things, a summary description of the costs and benefits of implementing that Directive by 31 March of each year.

The evaluation of Directive 2007/2/EC concluded by the Commission in 2022 found that there is scope to make it technically more efficient by means of further administrative burden reduction.

In line with the Commission’s Communication on ‘Long-term competitiveness of the EU: looking beyond 2030’, this proposal is part of a first package of measures to rationalise reporting requirements. This is a step in a process looking comprehensively at existing reporting requirements, with a view to assess their continued relevance and to make them more efficient.

CONTENT: the proposal concerns limited and targeted changes to Directive 2007/2/EC with a view to streamlining the reporting requirements.

The rationalisation of reporting obligations addressed by this proposal concern public authorities and may indirectly lead to reducing burden on businesses. More specifically, the less frequent reporting will lessen the burden on industries and utilities that are required to share datasets identified in the Annexes to the Directive such as utility networks, location of production and industrial facilities, etc. No new obligations are added.

The reporting obligation affected by this proposal will follow a biennial cycle instead of a yearly cycle.