1. 8.10.2007| Folie 1 Electronic access to environmental information – an important fundament for e-democracy and environmental protection Ad hoc Committee on E-Democracy of the Council of Europe (CAHDE) Strasbourg, 8-9 October 2007 Michael Nagy Rudolf Legat J. Hrebicek (Additional material used from T. Pick, S. Jensen, F. Kruse, T. Vögele, H.-J. Krammer)

2. 8.10.2007| Folie 2 E-Environment: a fundament for E-Democracy E-Democracy strives to simplify processes between public institutions, legislative, citizen, companies, … E-Democracy refers to electronic information, communication and transactions Important goals of E-Democracy are simplification of bureaucracy more transparent decision making and law implementation to support public participation in many ways E-Environment: is based on existing International Conventions and EU Directives guarantee citizen standardized access to environmental information and public participation

3. 8.10.2007| Folie 3 E-Environment supports the protection of the environment Control effect: Each individual can control the compliance with environmental law and point out deficits Participation effect: Increase of transparency and better public participation. Education effect (awareness effect): Distribution of knowledge regarding the state of the environment; better acceptance of measures Prevention effect: Potential polluters should be discouraged because of the risk of publication of these activities Standardization effect: Pan-European comparable principles regarding access to environmental information. Prevention of competitive distortion.

4. 8.10.2007| Folie 4 Towards sharing environmental information... Time INSPIRE Directive, 2007 Directive on Public Participation, 2003 Directiveon Reuse of PublicSector Information, 2003 SEIS, national environmental portals,…. Directive on Public Access to Environmental Information, 2003 Aarhus Convention on Access to Information, 1998 Rio Declaration on Environment and Development, 1992 Declaration of the UN Stockholm Conference on the Human Environment, 1972

5. 8.10.2007| Folie 5 The 3 Pillars of the Aarhus Convention Access to environmental information Aarhus Convention Public participation Access to justice

6. 8.10.2007| Folie 6 The Aarhus-Convention FULL NAME: UNECE Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-Making, and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters (done at Aarhus, Denmark, on 25 June 1998) ISSUES: Public right to know, right to participate in environmental decision-making, right to justice in environmental matters. It links environment right and human rights. GOALS: Enhancing government accountability, transparency, and responsiveness. Assisting civil society participation & helping to create participatory democracy for sustainable development in Europe. 3 Pillars: Public Access to Environmental Information Public Participation Access to Justice (in environmental matters)

7. 8.10.2007| Folie 7 Reuse of Public Sector Information EU Implementation 2007/2/EC2003/98/EC2003/35/EC2003/4/EC INSPIRE: Infrastructure for Spatial Information Providing for Public Participation Public Access to Env. Information

8. 8.10.2007| Folie 8 Directive 2003/4/EC (Public Access to Environmental Information) Right of Access to Environmental Information (held by or for public authorities) All Environmental Information held for or by Public Authorities Upon request by ANYBODY, ANYWHERE, without having to state an interest, ASAP In the requested format (unless already available in other format) Progressive Dissemination to the Public Requires MSs to ensure the availability and dissemination of this information Using Computer Telecommunication and/or electronic technology Officials support public in seeking access Officials make practical arrangements for access Supply lists of public authorities Supply lists or registers of environmental information held by PA

9. 8.10.2007| Folie 9 Environmental Information is any Information about … Elements Water Soil Air Land Biodiversity … Factors Substances Energy Noise Radiation Emissions Waste … Measures Policies Legislation Plans Programmes Agreements … Effects Health Food Chain Conditions of Human Life Cultural Sites Built Structures …

10. 8.10.2007| Folie 10 Directive 2007/2/EC (INSPIRE Directive) Refers to spatial information (i.e. GIS data) as a subset of environmental information Addressed to public authorities, businesses and only in third priority to the general public EU MSs must ensure the establishment of infrastructure for spatial information: Metadata Spatial data sets and data services Network services and technologies Agreements on sharing, access and use of data Coordination and monitoring mechanisms, processes and procedures to facilitate the technical implementation

11. 8.10.2007| Folie 11 Spatial data themes addressed through INSPIRE

12. 8.10.2007| Folie 12 Aarhus Thematic Space 2003/4/EC INSPIRE Access To Informa- tion Access to Justice Public Participa tion

13. 8.10.2007| Folie 13 Administration Different Target Groups Environmental Administration CitizensBusiness PSI EEID INSPIRE

14. 8.10.2007| Folie 14 2003/4/EC and INSPIRE Challenges Different Strategies in Member States Structural Heterogeneity Semantic Heterogeneity No Harmonization / Standardization Activities (e.g. no procedures, schemes, Ontologies etc.) No Tools (Taxonomy, Ontology, Services) No Implementation Guidance available No Funding ? No Interoperability!  No Information (exchange)

15. 8.10.2007| Folie 15 Technical implementation – Environmental Portals European level: SEIS (Shared Environmental Information System) Regional: e.g. Information Infrastructure for the North and Baltic Sea (NOKIS); http:// nokis.baw.de National (examples): DE: PortalU – http://www.portalu.dehttp://www.portalu.de CZ: Geoportal – http://geoportal.cenia.czhttp://geoportal.cenia.cz AT: Koordinierungsstelle für Umweltinformation – http://www.umweltbundesamt.at/umweltinformation/koordinierungsstel le http://www.umweltbundesamt.at/umweltinformation/koordinierungsstel le CH: Metainformationsystem Envirocat – http://www.envirocat.chhttp://www.envirocat.ch Sub-national: Umweltportal Hessen Umweltobjektkatalog Bayern and many others

16. 8.10.2007| Folie 16 SEIS – Shared Environmental Information System Development of an Environmental Information Systems in Europe improved usage of environmental data „Streamlining and harmonisation of monitoring and reporting obligations“ INSPIRE as a core element Parties involved: „Group of 4“ (Go4) DG ENV EEA Eurostat JRC End of 2007: „SEIS Comission Communication“ expected: political framework links with INSPIRE and streamlining of reporting and monitoring provisions suggest policy options to go from ‚Concept to Reality‘

17. 8.10.2007| Folie 17 SEIS Principles Information should be managed as close as possible to its source Information is provided once and shared with others for many purposes Data and information should be readily accessible to end- users to enable them to access it timely Information should be made available to the public after due consideration of the appropriate level of aggregation, given possible confidentiality constraints, and at national level in the national language(s)

18. 8.10.2007| Folie 18

19. 8.10.2007| Folie 19 Near Real Time Ozone Monitoring http://www.eea.europa.eu./maps/ozone

20. 8.10.2007| Folie 20 Central access to environmental information On all levels of administration (national, provincial, municipal) Standardized access to environmental information all over Germany Evidence of env. information regarding UIG (EEID) Support at: active dissemination of env. information evidence of existing env. data (via metadata) Common contribution of the env. authorities to INSPIRE spatial metadata connected to geodata-services http://www.portalu.de/ In operation since: May 29, 2006 DE: One-Stop-Shop example: Umweltportal Deutschland

21. 8.10.2007| Folie 21 DE: Portals on different Levels of Administration PortalU Bund/Länderportal Landes- Umweltportal Kommunale Portale Landesdatenkatalog (OGC konform) Geoportal National Provincional Municipal INSPIRE Geoportal

22. 8.10.2007| Folie 22 AT: The Coordination Centre (KUI) provides information KUI informs the public about its activities on the Internet at http://www.umweltbundesamt.at/koordinierungsstelle/. http://www.umweltbundesamt.at/koordinierungsstelle/ KUI also provides information on the Environmental Information Act (EIA 2004, UIG 2004) at HELP.gv.at http://www.help.gv.at/Content.Node/166/Seite.1660000.ht ml http://www.help.gv.at/Content.Node/166/Seite.1660000.ht ml The platform of the working group Environmental Information (UW-UI) on the Reference Server at http://reference.e-government.gv.at/Q- UI_Umweltinformation.1024.0.html http://reference.e-government.gv.at/Q- UI_Umweltinformation.1024.0.html

23. 8.10.2007| Folie 23 Conclusions Timely and sound environmental information is the basis for Control of compliance with the environmental law Better public participation Increase of knowledge on the state of the environment Prevention of potential pollution Prevention of competitive distortion And thus an element of political democracy European initiatives are well founded on the Aarhus Convention and are currently being legally and technically implemented

24. 8.10.2007| Folie 24 michael.nagy@umweltbundesamt.at rudolf.legat@umweltbundesamt.at hrebicek@iba.muni.cz Thank you very much for your interest!