1. Unit E.4 – Compliance & Better Regulation
Promotion of best practices for national environmental information systems and tools for data harvesting at EU level
European Commission
Directorate General for Environment
Unit E.4 – Compliance & Better Regulation 1

2. Access to Information Directive (2003/4/EC)
Policy background
Legislation in place:
Access to Information Directive (2003/4/EC)
INSPIRE Directive (2007/2/EC)
Public Sector Information Directive (2003/98/EC)
Specific provisions in environmental legislation … (e.g. DWD, MSFD)
Support from many policies:
7th EAP
Digital Single Market
Fitness Check evaluation(s)
Increasing number of good examples and pilot projects:
SIIF pilots
LIFE projects (e.g. Scottish EPA)

3. Monitoring and reporting
Actions
The contract serves Actions 4 and 5 of the Monitoring and Reporting Action Plan
Action 4: Develop and test tools for data harvesting at EU level.
Data harvesting is a way for the EU level to access data at the national or local level without it being physically reported.
The Commission will also develop practical guidance on how data harvesting can be used more effectively in environment policy in the future addressing the questions identified in the Fitness Check (e.g. on legal certainty)..
Further develop Reportnet
Promotion of active dissemination of environmental information at European and national level

4. Relying on existing best practices, eg. SIIFs INSPIRE,
Monitoring and reporting
Actions
Action 5
Develop guidance and promote best practices for European and national environmental information systems including better access to data in easy to understand ways
Relying on existing best practices, eg. SIIFs
INSPIRE,
Aarhus Convention, in particular the information pillar,
seamless flow of information between public authorities and to the public,

5. The contract
Contract signed after successful completion of procurement procedure
Starting: September 2017
Completion: February/March 2019
Contractor:

6. Tasks
The project will focus on 3 main tasks:
Developing guidance on promotion of best practices for national and EU environmental information systems.
2. Exploring the use of re-usable tools for data harvesting and mining of national environmental information for the purpose of supporting EU environment policy, in particular streamlining e-Reporting using agreed standards.
3. Testing and developing examples for EU end-user applications based on EU user needs and providing practical support.

7. Tasks

8. Subtask 1.4: Presentation of the results and Best Practice Guidance
Subtask 1.1: Exploring, identifying best practices, and developing guidance (for national environmental information systems)
Subtask 1.2: Development of criteria and checklist for defining best practices
Subtask 1.3: Evaluation of the existing portal and reports using checklist
Subtask 1.4: Presentation of the results and Best Practice Guidance

9. Task 2
Task 2: Explore the use of re-usable tools for data harvesting
Subtask 2.1: Identify and describe the available tools
Subtask 2.2: Prepare a roadmap and recommendations describing the potential use of harvesting tools for e-Reporting

10. Task 3
Task 3 Testing and developing examples for EU end-user tools based on EU user needs and providing practical support
3.1. Define the scope and identify user needs
3.2. Identify exemplary test cases, test and demonstrate potential end-user applications
3.3 Prepare feasibility study and roadmap

11. Website will be set up for interaction with stakeholders,
Support and planning
Website will be set up for interaction with stakeholders,
Survey will be conducted by contractor with the reporting communities,
Fact-finding missions
3 Stakeholder workshops will be organised approximately in February 2018, summer 2018 and by the end of 2018/early 2019 (January)
Final delivery by 1Q 2019

12. For more information on the project contact:
Thank you for your attention!
For more information on the project contact: