EUROPEAN COMMISSION

Brussels, 10.12.2025

COM(2025) 985 final

2025/0393(COD)

Proposal for a

DIRECTIVE OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL

amending Directive 2007/2/EC as regards simplification of certain requirements for the establishment of the Infrastructure for Spatial Information in the Union

(Text with EEA relevance)

EXPLANATORY MEMORANDUM

1.CONTEXT OF THE PROPOSAL

•Reasons for and objectives of the proposal

‘The Future of European Competitiveness’ report emphasised that the transition to a low-carbon, resource-efficient, and circular economy will be essential for securing the EU's long-term economic prosperity, resilience, and competitiveness.3 With the Competitiveness Compass for the EU, the Commission presented its strategy for the next five years for unlocking the full potential of this transition. 1  

Union legislation should deliver its policy objectives efficiently, effectively and transparently. The Competitiveness Compass promotes responsible law-making, announcing unprecedented efforts to simplify legislation to reignite the competitiveness of European business. Moreover, the Commission has since strengthened targets to reduce administrative costs for business (together with public authorities) and Small and Medium sized Entreprises by 25% and 35% respectively (1).

Directive 2007/2/EC 2 (the INSPIRE Directive) was adopted to create the European Spatial Data Infrastructure that enables the sharing of environmental spatial information among public sector organisations and improves public access to spatial information across Europe. The INSPIRE Directive has been crucial in overcoming obstacles such as missing or poorly described data, isolated spatial data infrastructures, barriers to sharing, duplicated efforts, and too many formats, so that maps and location data can be easily found, shared, and used across Europe.

The most recent evaluation completed in 2022 3 confirmed that while the objectives of the Directive remain highly relevant, the legal framework could be simplified and made more effective.

This proposal seeks to modernise and simplify the INSPIRE Directive by removing technical requirements for data and data sharing and aligning its obligations with more recent horizontal EU datal legislation. This will ensure legal coherence, reduce duplication and burden on Member States, while preserving the Directive’s objectives of ensuring the accessibility, quality and interoperability of environmental spatial data. This approach is in line with the 2020 European strategy for data 4  and the 2025 Data Union Strategy 5  in terms of ensuring an over-arching policy framework for the data-agile economy and avoiding fragmentation of the internal market. The 2020 European strategy for data 6 announced the ‘GreenData4All’ initiative, which has the objective to modernise the INSPIRE Directive in line with technological developments and innovation opportunities, with a view to supporting the transition to a greener and carbon-neutral economy, and reducing administrative burden.

Horizontal EU data legislation regulates the access to, reuse, interoperability, and governance of public sector data in a coherent and technologically advanced manner. This includes Directive (EU) 2019/1024 (Open Data Directive) 7 and Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/138 (High-Value Datasets) 8 , Regulation (EU) 2022/868 (Data Governance Act) 9 , and Regulation (EU) 2024/903 (Interoperable Europe Act) 10 . Horizontal EU data legislation introduces open-by-default principles, structured metadata, mandatory Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) and where relevant as bulk download formats for high-value datasets, as well as a streamlined, common governance model for cross-border data use.

More specifically, the Open Data Directive sets out in Article 1(7) that that Directive governs the re-use of existing documents held by public sector bodies and public undertakings of the Member States, including documents to which Directive 2007/2/EC applies.

In addition, the EU’s objective of creating Common European Data Spaces set out in the 2020 European strategy for data, includes a dedicated Green Deal Data Space to support the European Green Deal; this requires breaking data silos and ensuring that all relevant environmental data – spatial and non-spatial – can flow freely to inform EU environmental and climate objectives and reduce administrative burden on companies and public administrations.

The proposed simplification of the INSPIRE Directive, as part of the environmental simplification omnibus, constitutes the legal component of the GreenData4All initiative. It will be supported by non-legislative actions and practical tools to support smart and efficient reuse of environmental data across the Union.

•Consistency with existing policy provisions in the policy area

The proposed amendments will align the INSPIRE Directive with EU legislation governing public sector data. In particular, Directive (EU) 2019/1024 and Implementing Regulation (EU) 2024/903, have introduced requirements for free and open availability of data, including application programming interfaces (APIs), for key datasets in categories such as geospatial and environmental data. Notably, the high-value datasets defined under that framework were selected to match the data sets already covered by the INSPIRE Directive.

The Digital Omnibus proposal 11 includes the consolidated and streamlined rules of Regulation (EU) 2024/1689 (Free Flow of Data Regulation), Regulation (EU) 2022/868 (Data Governance Act) and Directive (EU) 2019/1024 (the Open Data Directive) in Regulation (EU) 2023/2854 (Data Act), creating one single consolidated instrument for Europe’s data economy. Regulation (EU) 2024/1689) (Free Flow of Data Regulation), Directive (EU) 2019/1024 (Open Data Directive) and Regulation (EU) 2022/868 (Data Governance Act) will be repealed. That consolidation would therefore affect the references in this proposal to simplify the INSPIRE Directive, but it is not otherwise affected by the Digital Omnibus proposal, because the Commission did not propose relevant substantive changes to the solutions set out in the Open Data Directive.

The INSPIRE Directive provides a common framework and technical standards needed for sharing and integrating spatial data across sectors and borders for reporting, policy implementation and decision making. Regulation (EU) 2019/1010 aligns reporting obligations in the field of environmental legislation and provides the basis for aligning reporting data models with INSPIRE specifications 12 .

The application of the INSPIRE Directive is not only relevant for environmental policy. Several pieces of EU legislation refer to the INSPIRE Directive, such as Regulation (EU) 2018/841 of the European Parliament and of the Council 13 (LULUCF), Regulation (EU) 2021/2116 of the European Parliament and the Council 14 (Common agricultural policy), Regulation (EU) 2018/1091 15 (integrated farm statistics), Regulation (EU) 2021/696 of the European Parliament and of the Council 16 (Union Space Programme), Directive (EU) 2024/2881 of the European Parliament and of the Council 17 (Air Quality Directive), and Regulation (EU) 2024/1991 of the European Parliament and of the Council (Nature Restoration Regulation) 18 , to ensure coherence, e.g. as regards technical formats, compatibility of procedures for the transmission and processing of data and data specifications, with a view to avoiding duplication of effort. 

•Consistency with other Union policies

The proposal is fully in line with the EU’s horisontal data and digital policies, as regards promoting easier data sharing across sectors, and supporting the creation of Common European Data Spaces like the Green Deal Data Space - with the aim of making high-quality, accessible, and reusable environmental data available to drive innovation, sustainability, and digital transformation. With the proposed deletion of detailed technical requirements for interoperability, network services and data sharing, the proposal is consistent with Regulation (EU) 2024/903 as regards the aim to remove technical and legal barriers, promote common standards, and to ensure that public sector data - including geospatial and environmental data - can be easily shared, combined, and re-used across borders and sectors. Moreover, the proposed simplification will create flexibility in the implementation allowing for the adoption of community good practices, such as the widely recognised Minimum Interoperability Mechanisms (MIMs) developed by the Open & Agile Smart Cities community 19 , that promote the use of minimal, flexible standards, for example, lightweight web APIs and common data models, to achieve cross-border geospatial data interoperability.

The proposed measures to simplify the INSPIRE Directive are consistent with Directive (EU) 2019/1024 and Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/138 because it will be ensured that geospatial and environmental data- are made available as open data, using common standards, APIs, and open licenses, thus minimizing duplication, reducing burdens for data providers, and maximizing accessibility and re-use for all users through data.europa.eu. It is therefore also proposed to delete the obligation on the Commission to operate the Inspire geo-portal.

The proposal is furthermore consistent with Regulation (EU) 2022/868 which facilitates wider sharing of public sector data (including data not openly published) via trusted intermediaries and common data spaces, by ensuring that spatial datasets can be shared under clear conditions and via interoperable service solutions.

In summary, this proposal aligns the INSPIRE Directive with the horisontal EU data policy, facilitating open-by-default data reuse, interoperability, and the development of data-driven services across sectors.

2.LEGAL BASIS, SUBSIDIARITY AND PROPORTIONALITY

•Legal basis

The legal basis for the INSPIRE Directive is Article 192(1) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union. Article 192(1) provides the legal basis for measures to protect the environment including the use of available data to inform environmental policy preparation.

Main legal provisions and amendments

The proposal is a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Directive 2007/2/EC.

The INSPIRE Directive does not prescribe uniform open licensing or charging conditions, which results in inconsistent reuse conditions across Member States. It is therefore proposed to replace the obligations for Member States to establish specific network services, including discovery, view, download and transformation, with a reference to the parallel provisions in Directive (EU) 2019/1024 to ensure that spatial data is by default open for reuse under harmonised conditions.

It is proposed to delete the obligation on the Commission to operate a geo-portal. Access to spatial data will instead be made available via the EU’s open data portal (data.europa.eu), which serves as the central point of access for European public data.

The obligations for metadata creation and data discovery set out in the INSPIRE Directive in Chapter II are still fit for purpose and allow for a transfer of metadata and discovery functionality from the INSPIRE geo-portal or national or sub-national geo-portals to data.europa.eu.

With a view to reducing administrative burden, it is proposed to delete the reporting requirements set out in Article 21. Member States shall provide the Commission with a report on the measures taken to implement Implementing Regulation No (EU) 2023/138., in accordance with Article 5 of that Regulation. That report shall include a list of datasets corresponding to the description of each high-value data set in the Annex to that Regulation, which includes 33 out of 34 INSPIRE datasets, and with online reference to metadata that follow existing standards, such as a single register or open data catalogue. It is therefore no longer necessary to maintain the reporting requirements in Directive 2007/2/EC.

Directive (EU) 2019/1024 sets out that data is open-by-default which also applies to spatial data, including spatial datasets defined under Directive 2007/2/EC. It is therefore proposed to delete the provision on data sharing in the INSPIRE Directive. Conditions for protecting sensitive information, such as national security or personal data, are also clearly defined in Directive (EU) 2019/1024, Directive 2003/4/EC 20  and Regulation (EU) 2022/868. The proposal therefore simplifies the legal framework without weakening the obligations concerning spatial data sharing between public authorities.

As a consequence of the amendments set out above in relation to network services, interoperability and data sharing, it is furthermore proposed to repeal the following related implementing acts, by way of the applicable procedure, and to delete the corresponding empowerments:

(1)Commission Regulation (EC) No 976/2009 as regards Network Services 21

(2)Commission Regulation (EU) No 1089/2010 on interoperability of spatial data sets and services 22 , and

(3)Commission Regulation (EU) No 268/2010 on data and service sharing 23 .

(4)Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2019/1372 implementing Directive 2007/2/EC as regards monitoring and reporting 24 .

•Subsidiarity

The obligation to establish an European Spatial Data Infrastructure, building upon infrastructures established and operated by Member States, is imposed by EU law. The simplification of related obligations is therefore best done at EU level to ensure legal certainty and consistency. This will ensure clarity for public administrations across the EU, which will be benefiting from the simplified requirements arising from this proposal.

A spatial data infrastructure for environmental policy and policies or activities that have an impact on the environment has an intrinsic cross-border and pan-European dimension. Individual Member States cannot adequately ensure interoperability and access to spatial data for EU-wide purposes.

EU-level action is justified to simplify and consolidate a common interoperable framework for spatial data. The proposal does not concern Member States’ competence to organise their internal data infrastructures, so long as the common objectives (open availability and interoperability of certain spatial datasets) are achieved.

•    Proportionality

The proposal aims at simplifying the legal framework by introducing changes to existing requirements that seek to reduce burden by deleting or amending provisions that have proven overly prescriptive or duplicative and which do not affect the substance of the wider policy objective as well as by aligning with Directive 2019/1024 and Regulation 2023/138. The proposal is therefore limited to those changes that are necessary to ensure efficient implementation, simplification and relevant alignment with horizontal data legislation.

3.RESULTS OF EX-POST EVALUATIONS, STAKEHOLDER CONSULTATIONS AND IMPACT ASSESSMENTS

•Ex-post evaluations/fitness checks of existing legislation

The 2022 evaluation 25 of the INSPIRE Directive found that it has significantly advanced spatial data sharing since 2007, creating efficiencies through the application of FAIR principles and fostering EU-wide interoperability. The Directive’s main added value was found to lie in promoting data sharing as a norm, establishing governance structures, unlocking public sector data, improving transparency, and building EU-level expertise. It was found to be particularly relevant for supporting the Green Deal data space, environmental strategies, and environmental democracy through greater transparency.

However, challenges remain. Implementation still faces technical and organisational barriers, with interoperability being the costliest aspect. The current framework is considered overly detailed and not sufficiently technology-neutral, which reduces flexibility and cost-effectiveness. Simplifying the interoperability requirements and allowing Member States some discretion in applying data specifications would increase adaptability and help maintain relevance in the light of technological change. The INSPIRE Directive cannot alone ensure cross-border and cross-sector data usability, requiring additional effort to render data into practical information.

The INSPIRE Directive was found to be broadly coherent with environmental, open data, and access-to-information legislation, but synergies between these frameworks could be better leveraged to support active dissemination of environmental data. Implementation costs are largely borne by national governments, with little burden on end users, and where cost-benefit analyses were carried out, results aligned with expectations from the original ex-ante evaluation.

Overall, the INSPIRE Directive was found to remain highly relevant for tackling obstacles to data sharing and addressing future data needs. But to increase its effectiveness, modernisation of the legal framework and improved practical implementation would be needed.

•Stakeholder consultations 

The preparation of this proposal has been informed by extensive consultations with Member States’ authorities, data providers, data users, including businesses and NGOs, and the general public. The Open Public Consultation, which ran from 5 February - 30 April 2025, covered a broader scope than the present simplification proposal, comprising two distinct parts: 1) a general section addressing the availability and accessibility of environmental data (375 respondents), and 2) a more specific section concerning simplification of the INSPIRE Directive (227 respondents). This proposal draws principally on the outcomes of the second part of the open public consultation, dedicated to the simplification of the INSPIRE Directive.

375 respondents replied to the first part of the Open Public Consultation. Public authorities formed the largest group of respondents (150), followed by EU citizens (113), academic and research institutions (40), companies and businesses (27), environmental organisations (9), business associations (8), NGOs (7), non-EU citizens (6) and other actors (15). Public authorities were mainly national-level bodies, while 250 respondents came for organisations with over 250 employees.

Respondents dealt with environmental data in multiple roles. A total of 258 identified as data users, 195 as producers, and 143 as hosts or providers. Environmental data is primarily used for research and development (188 mentions), public awareness and education (185), territorial and environmental planning (183), policymaking (170), compliance and reporting (169), business decision-making (92), corporate due diligence (76), and sustainability reporting (35). The most accessed data types included land use and land cover (258), climate and weather data (209), water quality and quantity (181), biodiversity (181), hydrology (171), forestry (165), agriculture (160), and soil quality (153). Data is most commonly accessed through downloading processed files (124), viewing services (102), and raw/API access (92).

227 respondents responded to the second part, focused on simplification of the INSPIRE Directive. Regarding alignment between the INSPIRE Directive and Directive (EU) 2019/1024, there was strong agreement that such alignment would promote wider accessibility and reuse (133 strongly agreed), simplify data-sharing rules (128), and reduce administrative burdens (111). On governance, a clear majority supported integrating the INSPIRE Directive under a common EU governance framework linked to horizontal legislation: 76 strongly supported this and 99 supported it, while only 22 were neutral and 22 were opposed. However, many emphasised the need to safeguard geospatial expertise, data quality, and interoperability standards.

Respondents saw potential benefits in standardisation, quality assurance and scalability through APIs and cloud services. Concerns centered on transparency, governance, accountability, security, and the need to preserve public oversight and avoid reliance on opaque private platforms. Regarding the continued value of the INSPIRE Directive as a standalone instrument if fully aligned with horizontal legislation, views were mixed. While 91 respondents considered it highly or somewhat valuable, 62 saw limited or no value, and 35 remained uncertain.

25 individual attachments supplemented the consultation, of which 22 were directly relevant. These contributions highlighted persistent issues such as differences in the usability and accessibility of data portals, inconsistencies in data quality, and cross-border access barriers. Many advocated for a federated, coherent European platform built on national nodes, cautioning against commercialisation or paywalls. Divergent opinions were expressed on citizen-generated data, with support contingent on clear quality and validation frameworks. Respondents also stressed the importance of funding, capacity-building, secure exchanges, and maintaining geospatial coherence within broader EU data legislation, such as Directive (EU) 2019/1024 and Regulation (EU) 2024/903.

Member States’ experts, through the INSPIRE Maintenance and Implementation Group (MIG), have been closely involved through several workshops between 2022 – 2025. The INSPIRE Conference 2023 (participation of 280 people in person and 800 virtually, representing public authorities, business and academia) also discussed the possible evolution of the INSPIRE Directive. Mindful of investments already made in terms of implementation, there was broad agreement that the Directive’s legal requirements should not lock them into outdated technologies or lead to duplication of efforts. Some Member States have already piloted using their open data portal to satisfy INSPIRE discovery obligations, demonstrating feasibility. Data providers often face capacity constraints and fatigue due to overlapping obligations. The MIG echoed the results of the open public consultation to maintain a legislative basis for geospatial reference data, ensuring long-term standardisation, with a focus on not disrupting what works well, especially as regards metadata standards.

•Collection and use of expertise

During the preparation of the proposal, the Commission has made use of external expertise in the form of a support study. In addition, the Joint Research Centre (JRC) has provided multidisciplinary analysis on the state of implementation of the INSPIRE Directive and possible future directions 26 27 . The Commission has also taken into account the 2016 REFIT evaluation of the INSPIRE Directive 28  as well as the 2022 evaluation 29 , which contained detailed evidence of what works and what does not. The evaluation  quantified the low uptake of some INSPIRE services and recommended integration with horizontal data legislation.

•Impact assessment 

The proposal concerns targeted amendments to modernise and simplify the INSPIRE Directive by aligning it with the obligations set out in more recent, horizontal EU data legislation. The changes aim at ensuring a more efficient, effective and less burdensome implementation. Due to the targeted nature of the changes, and the lack of relevant policy options, an impact assessment is not necessary. However, the staff working document accompanying the proposal includes quantification of expected savings as well as information about continuation of the established coordination mechanisms at EU level in a more agile and less burdensome form.

•Regulatory fitness and simplification

Under the regulatory fitness and performance programme (REFIT), the Commission ensures that its legislation is fit for purpose, targeted to the needs of stakeholders, and minimises burdens while achieving its objectives.

This proposal forms part of REFIT, responding to the findings of the 2022 evaluation of the INSPIRE Directive, which identified areas of excessive administrative burden and overly prescriptive technical requirements. The proposal simplifies the legal framework by deleting obligations that are now addressed through more recent horizontal EU data legislation specifically, Directive (EU) 2019/1024, Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/138, Regulation (EU) 2022/868 and Regulation (EU) 2024/903.

Notably, it is proposed to:

–Remove duplicative reporting obligations, reducing compliance workload for Member States;

–Remove four empowerments for adoption of implementing rules for interoperability, network services, data sharing and reporting requirements that no longer reflect current best practices or standards, thereby removing rigid technical requirements. The four implementing acts adopted on the basis of the empowerments will be repealed by separate adoption procedure (comitology).

–Integrate spatial data access into another existing EU infrastructure, the open data portal (data.europa.eu), thereby simplifying user access and system maintenance and removing the obligation on the Commission to operate a geo-portal.

•Quantified impact of removing obligations

The proposed amendments will benefit a wide range of stakeholders, including public sector data providers, national and regional authorities, businesses, research institutions, SMEs, and civil society organisations. Public sector data providers will see reduced administrative burden and simplified compliance, while businesses and data users will enjoy improved access to high-value environmental data through open licensing and modern APIs.

A 12-month transposition period is proposed to allow Member States to adapt their infrastructures and to maintain service continuity during the migration to the new framework. The combined EU cost savings from the proposed simplification is expected to be substantial. The annual baseline costs for implementation of the INSPIRE Directive across EU-27 are estimated at EUR 4.967–48.926 million.

The proposed simplification is expected to reduce administrative burdens by 24–64% compared to the current baseline. The lower bound of 24% reflects the more conservative estimates derived from stakeholder feedback during the validation workshop, which captured an immediate and pragmatic assessment of the potential impact. In contrast, the upper bound of 64% corresponds to the cost reductions identified through the full alignment scenario with Directive (EU) 2019/1024

This is considered to represent the realistic range of expected savings from the simplification, particularly those savings linked to the annual update of harmonised datasets and the operation of publication and web services. It translates into annual savings of roughly EUR 6.36–16.96 million, based on the average annual cost component for updating and maintaining datasets and services under INSPIRE. On average across the projected range, this corresponds to approximately a 44% annual administrative cost reduction, or about EUR 11.66 million in yearly savings. These savings are achieved by removing the complex harmonisation requirements, by leveraging mainstream web technologies, and by consolidating infrastructure.

•    Fundamental rights

The proposal has no adverse impact on fundamental rights as enshrined in the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights. The proposed amendments concern the sharing of public sector spatial data (non-personal, environmental and geographical information) and do not involve the processing of personal data or any limitations on individuals’ rights. Directive 2007/2/EC in its current form already contains safeguards to ensure that personal data and sensitive confidential information are protected, e.g in Article 13.

By promoting open data and transparency, the proposal is consistent with Article 42 of the Charter (right of access to documents) and Article 37 (environmental protection) which implicitly supports access to environmental information. Citizens will continue to have at least the same access to spatial environmental information as before. The proposal does not affect the rights to privacy or data protection because any personal data (e.g. names of property owners in a cadastre) are excluded from the scope of the INSPIRE Directive.

4.BUDGETARY IMPLICATIONS

N/A

5.OTHER ELEMENTS

•Implementation plans and monitoring, evaluation and reporting arrangements

Implementation plan

N/A

•Explanatory documents

Considering the scope of the proposal, it is not justified or proportional to require explanatory documents.

•    Detailed explanation of the specific provisions of the proposal

This proposal includes:

–The deletion of technical interoperability specifications, taking into account that Article 1(7) of Directive (EU) 2019/1024 sets out that that Directive governs the re-use of existing documents held by public sector bodies and public undertakings of the Member States, including documents to which Directive 2007/2/EC applies. (Article 7).

–The deletion of technical requirements as regards network services, taking into account that Article 1(7) of Directive (EU) 2019/1024 sets out that that Directive governs the re-use of existing documents held by public sector bodies and public undertakings of the Member States, including documents to which Directive 2007/2/EC applies (Article 11).

–The deletion of requirements for data-sharing as Directive (EU) 2019/1024 sets out that data is open-by-default which also applies to spatial data, including spatial datasets defined under Directive 2007/2/EC.

–The deletion of conditions for public authorities to apply charges for spatial data sets, taking into account that Article 1(7) of Directive (EU) 2019/1024 sets out that that Directive governs the re-use of existing documents held by public sector bodies and public undertakings of the Member States, including documents to which Directive 2007/2/EC applies, including principles and rules governing charging (Article 14).

–The deletion of the requirement on the Commission to establish and operate an INSPIRE geo-portal (Article 15).

–The deletion of reporting requirements, to avoid duplication as Member States are obliged to undertake monitoring and reporting on the implementation of the INSPIRE Directive by the obligation set out in Article 5 of Implementing Regulation No (EU) 2023/138 (Article 21).

–An update of the regulatory procedure with scrutiny as regards adaptation of Annexes I, II and III (Article 4(7) and new Article 22a).

–An update of the provision on implementing powers in Article 5(4) to replace the reference to Article 5 and 7 Decision 1999/468/EC with a reference to Article 5 of Regulation (EU) No 182/2011 (new Article 22b)

–The deletion of obsolete provisions, where a timeframe has expired, or obsolete definitions.

2025/0393 (COD)

Proposal for a

DIRECTIVE OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL

amending Directive 2007/2/EC as regards simplification of certain requirements for the establishment of the Infrastructure for Spatial Information in the Union

(Text with EEA relevance)

THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, and in particular Article 192(1) thereof,

Having regard to the proposal from the European Commission,

After transmission of the draft legislative act to the national parliaments,

Having regard to the opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee 30 ,

Having regard to the opinion of the Committee of the Regions 31 ,

Acting in accordance with the ordinary legislative procedure,

Whereas:

(1)The political guidelines for the Commission’s 2024-2029 term 32 point to the goal of simplifying legislation to eliminate any overlaps and contradictions while maintaining high standards and staying the course on the goals set out in the European Green Deal 33 .

(2)In response to the 2024 Draghi report 34 , which points to regulatory obstacles and administrative burden as one of the key challenges, notably for small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs), the Competitiveness Compass 35 identifies a set of horisontal enablers to underpin competitiveness including simplifying legislation, reducing burden and favouring speed and flexibility.

(3)In its Communication of 19 November 2025 entitled “Data Union Strategy – Unlocking Data for AI”, 36  the Commission set out its vision for the data union, including for the improvement of public-sector data-sharing. That agenda requires more than an incremental approach and the Union must take bold action to achieve its goals. The Commission, the European Parliament, the Council, Member States’ authorities at all levels and stakeholders need to work together to streamline and simplify Union, national and regional rules and implement policies more effectively.

(4)In the context of the Commission’s commitment to reduce reporting burdens and compliance costs, advance interoperability, and enhance competitiveness, it is necessary to amend Directive 2007/2/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council 37 , whilst maintaining the policy objectives of the European Green Deal, and the Sustainable Finance Action Plan 38 .

(5)Directive 2007/2/EC contains certain definitions that will become obsolete as a consequence of proposed amendments. Those definitions should be deleted.

(6)Directive 2007/2/EC contains reference to third parties, whereas Directive (EU) 2019/1024, which applies to public sector bodies and public undertakings, does not extend to private entities or businesses. To ensure coherence with the Directive (EU) 2019/1024 39 , the reference to third parties should be deleted.

(7)The timeframes for the creation of metadata and for the adoption of implementing rules laying down technical arrangements for interoperability of spatial data sets and services are obsolete and should be deleted.

(8)Articles 7 and 8 of Directive 2007/2/EC empowers the Commission to adopt implementing rules laying down technical arrangements for the interoperability and, where practicable, harmonisation of spatial data sets and services. They also set out the conditions for and the content of those implementing rules. Article 5(1) of Directive (EU) 2019/1024 establishes that public sector bodies and public undertakings are to make their documents available in any pre-existing format or language and, where possible and appropriate, by electronic means, in formats that are open, machine-readable, accessible, findable and re-usable, together with their metadata. Both the format and the metadata is, where possible, to comply with formal open standards. Pursuant to Article 1(7) of Directive (EU) 2019/1024, that Directive governs the re-use of existing documents held by public sector bodies and public undertakings of the Member States, including documents to which Directive 2007/2/EC applies. Since the interoperability requirements for open data apply to spatial data, the empowerment to adopt implementing rules laying down technical arrangements for the interoperability and, where practicable, harmonisation of spatial data sets and related provisions should be deleted.

(9)Article 10 of Directive 2007/2/EC specifies that Member States are to make available information needed to make spatial data interoperable, including codes and classifications, and also sets out the conditions for ensuring coherence of spatial data relating to a feature, the location of which spans the frontier between two or more or more Member States. Since Articles 7 and 8 are being deleted, The requirements for Member States to make such information available and the conditions for ensuring coherence of spatial data are no longer needed.  

(10)Articles 11 and 12 of Directive 2007/2/EC specify that Member States are to establish and operate a network of services for the discovery, viewing, download, transformation and invoking of spatial data sets, and ensure that public authorities and third parties can link their spatial data sets and services to that network. Directive (EU) 2019/1024 sets the legal framework for open data and introduces the concept of high-value datasets, defined as data that is associated with important benefits for society and the economy when reused, which includes spatial data sets. Pursuant to Directive (EU) 2019/1024, high-value datasets are to be made available for re-use in machine-readable format, via suitable application programming interfaces and, where relevant, as a bulk download. Pursuant to Article 1(7) of Directive (EU) 2019/1024, that Directive sets out that the Directive governs the re-use of existing documents held by public sector bodies and public undertakings of the Member States, including documents to which Directive 2007/2/EC applies. To ensure consistency with Directive (EU) 2019/1024 and to avoid overlapping provisions, the requirements to establish and operate a network for spatial data services in Directive 2007/2/EC should be deleted. 

(11)Article 14 of Directive 2007/2/EC sets out the rules for making discovery and view services available to the public free of charge, as well as for making e-commerce services available where charges are levied. Directive (EU) 2019/1024 establishes principles and rules governing charging for making documents and high-value datasets available free of charge, including exceptions and derogations from the rules on charging, for the purpose of ensuring the maximum impact and to facilitate re-use of data. Pursuant to Article 1(7) of Directive (EU) 2019/1024, that Directive sets out that the Directive governs the re-use of existing documents held by public sector bodies and public undertakings of the Member States, including documents to which Directive 2007/2/EC applies. To ensure consistency with Directive (EU) 2019/1024 and to avoid overlapping provisions, the rules on charging for discovery and view services in Directive 2007/2/EC should be deleted.  

(12)] Article 15 of Directive 2007/2/EC requires the Commission to establish and operate an Inspire geo-portal. That portal has functioned as the central European access point to the data provided by Member States and EFTA countries under Directive 2007/2/EC. The portal allows monitoring of the availability of datasets , discovery of suitable datasets based on their descriptions, and access to selected datasets through their view or download services. Since 2021, the website data.europa.eu acts as a single access point for open data published by Union Institutions 40 , on national portals of  Member States and third countries, as well as by international organisations. To avoid duplication of access to spatial data sets and to reduce administrative burden, the obligation on the Commission to operate the Inspire geo-portal should be deleted.

(13)Article 16 of Directive 2007/2/EC sets out and empowerment for the Commission toadopt technical specifications and minimum performance criteria for network services referred to in Articles 11 and 12 of that Directive. Since Articles 11 and 12 of Directive 2007/2/EC are being deleted that empowerment is no longer needed.

(14)Article 17 of Directive 2007/2/EC requires Member States to adopt measures that make it possible for spatial data collected at one level of public authority to be shared between all the different levels of public authorities and to ensure that spatial data and services are made available under conditions that do not restrict their extensive use. Pursuant to Directive (EU) 2019/1024, data is open-by-default which also applies to spatial data, including spatial datasets falling within the scope of Directive 2007/2/EC. Article 17 should therefore be deleted for the purpose of simplifying the legal framework and avoiding overlapping rules.

(15)Article 21 of Directive 2007/2/EC sets out the monitoring and reporting requirements for Member States concerning the implementation of that Directive and the use of their infrastructures for spatial information. Article 5 of Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/138 41 , establishes a list of high-value datasets belonging to the thematic categories set out in Annex I to Directive (EU) 2019/1024 and held by public sector bodies. It also lays down the arrangements for publishing and resusing of such high-value datasets. Member States are to provide the Commission with a report on the measures taken to implement the rules set out in Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/138, including a list of datasets corresponding to the description of each high-value data referred to in the Annex to that Implementing Regulation with online reference to metadata that allows for existing standards. That Annex, which includes 33 out of the 34 spatial datasets set out in Annexes I II and III to Directive 2007/2/EC. It is therefore no longer necessary to maintain the reporting requirements set out in Article 21 of Directive 2007/2/EC.

(16)The Treaty of Lisbon modified the legal framework governing the powers conferred on the Commission by the legislator, introducing a distinction between powers delegated to the Commission to adopt non-legislative acts of general application to supplement or amend certain non-essential elements of a legislative act (delegated acts), and the powers conferred on the Commission to adopt acts to ensure uniform conditions for implementing legally binding Union acts (implementing acts). Where implementing powers are conferred on the Commission, those powers should be exercised in accordance with Regulation (EU) No 182/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council 42 .

(17)This Directive adopted before the entry into force of the Treaty of Lisbon confers powers on the Commission to adopt measures under the regulatory procedure with scrutiny established by Article 5a of Council Decision 1999/468/EC 43 .

(18)The need to align all existing legislation to the legal framework introduced by the Treaty of Lisbon is acknowledged in the Interinstitutional Agreement of 13 April 2016 on Better Law-Making 44 .

(19)The empowerment for the Commission to amend Annexes I, II and III to Directive 2007/2/EC in order to adapt the description of the existing data themes referred to in those Annexes, which is set out in Article 4(7) of that Directive, provides for the use of the regulatory procedure with scrutiny. As that empowerment fulfils the criteria under Article 290 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU), it should be adapted to that provision.

(20)In order to ensure the necessary adaptation of this Regulation, the power to adopt acts in accordance with Article 290 TFEU should be delegated to the Commission in respect of amending Annexes I to III to Directive 2007/2/EC by adapting the description of the existing data themes. It is of particular importance that the Commission carry out appropriate consultations during its preparatory work, including at expert level, in accordance with the principles laid down in the Interinstitutional Agreement of 13 April 2016 on Better Law-Making. In particular, to ensure equal participation in the preparation of delegated acts, the European Parliament and the Council receive all documents at the same time as Member States’ experts, and their experts systematically have access to meetings of Commission expert groups dealing with the preparation of delegated acts.

(21)The empowerment for the Commission to adopt rules for the implementation of Article 5 of Directive 2007/27EC, which is set out in paragraph 4 of that Article, should be adapted to Article 291 TFEU.

(22)Article 23 of Directive 2007/2/EC establishes the obligation for the Commission to evaluate that Directive, and sets out the elements on the basis of which the evaluation should be based. Those elements should be modified in view of the alignment with the monitoring and reporting obligations in Regulation No (EU) 2023/138 and the deletion of Article 21 of Directive 2007/2/EC. 

(23)Directive 2007/2/EC shoudl therefore be amended accordingly.

(24)Commission Regulations (EU) No 1089/2010 45 , (EC) No 976/2009 46  and (EU) No 268/2010 47 should be repealed before the respective empowerments on the basis of which they were adopted are deleted. The application date for the repeal of those empowerments should therefore be deferred. 

(25)Since the objectives of this Directive cannot be sufficiently achieved by the Member States but can rather, by reason of the scale or effects of the action, be better achieved at Union level, the Union may adopt measures, in accordance with the principle of subsidiarity as set out in Article 5 of the Treaty on European Union. In accordance with the principle of proportionality as set out in that Article, this Directive does not go beyond what is necessary in order to achieve those objectives.

HAVE ADOPTED THIS DIRECTIVE:

Article 1
Amendments

Directive 2007/2/EC is amended as follows:

(1)in Article 3, points 5, 7, 8 and 10 are deleted; 

(2)Article 4 is amended as follows:

(a)in paragraph 1, point (c)(ii) is deleted;(b) paragraph 5 is deleted;

(b)paragraph 7 is replaced by the following:

‘7. The Commission is empowered to adopt delegated acts in accordance with Article 22a in order to amend Annexes I, II and III by adapting the description of the existing data themes in the light of technological and economic developments.’

(3)Article 5 is amended as follows:

(a)In paragraph 2, point (a) is deleted.

(b) paragraph 4 is replaced by the following:

‘4. The Commission is empowered to adopt implementing acts laying down rules for the application of this Article, taking account of relevant, existing international standards and user requirements, in particular with relation to validation metadata. Those implementing acts shall be adopted in accordance with the procedure referred to in Article 22b(2)’;

(4)Articles 6 to 7 are deleted.

(5)Article 8 is deleted.

(6)Article 9 to 12 are deleted.

(7)Article 13(1) is amended as follows:

(a)the first subparagraph is replaced by the following:

‘Member States may limit public access to spatial data sets and services where such access could adversely affect international relations, public security or national defence.

(b)in the second subparagraph, the introductory wording is replaced by the following:

‘Member States may limit public access to spatial data sets and services where such access could adversly affect any of the following:’;

(8)Articles 14 to 15 are deleted.

(9)Article 16 is deleted.

(10)Article 17 is deleted. 

(11)Article 21 is deleted.

(12)Article 22 is replaced by the following:

‘Article 22a

1. The power to adopt delegated acts is conferred on the Commission subject to the conditions laid down in this Article.

2. The power to adopt delegated acts referred to in Article 4(7) shall be conferred on the Commission for a period of five years from [Note to PO: please insert the date of entry into force of this Directive]. The Commission shall draw up a report in respect of the delegation of power not later than nine months before the end of the five-year period. The delegation of power shall be tacitly extended for periods of an identical duration unless the European Parliament or the Council opposes such extension not later than three months before the end of each period.

3. The delegation of power referred to in Article 4(7) may be revoked at any time by the European Parliament or by the Council. A decision to revoke shall put an end to the delegation of the power specified in that decision. It shall take effect the day following the publication of the decision in the Official Journal of the European Union or at a later date specified therein. It shall not affect the validity of any delegated acts already in force.

4. Before adopting a delegated act, the Commission shall consult experts designated by each Member State in accordance with the principles laid down in the Interinstitutional Agreement of 13 April 2016 on Better Law-Making.

5. As soon as it adopts a delegated act, the Commission shall notify it simultaneously to the European Parliament and to the Council.

6. Delegated acts adopted pursuant to Article 4(7) shall enter into force only if no objection has been expressed either by the European Parliament or by the Council within a period of two months of notification of that act to the European Parliament and to the Council or if, before the expiry of that period, the European Parliament and the Council have both informed the Commission that they will not object. That period shall be extended by two months at the initiative of the European Parliament or of the Council.’;

‘Article 22b

1.   The Commission shall be assisted by a committee. That committee shall be a committee within the meaning of Regulation (EU) No 182/2011.

2.   Where reference is made to this paragraph, Article 5 of Regulation (EU) No 182/2011 shall apply.’;

(13)Article 23 is replaced by the following:

‘Article 23

The Commission shall, no later than six years after [OP: please insert the date = 12 months following the date of entry into force of this Directive], carry out an evaluation of this Directive, and of its implementation, and make it publicly available. That evaluation shall be based, inter alia, on the following elements:

(a)the experience gathered from the implementation of this Directive;

(b)Member State high-value dataset metadata harvested by the European data portal (data.europa.eu);

(c)relevant scientific, analytical data required on the basis of the Better Regulation guidelines, in particular by relying on efficient and effective information management processes.’.

Article 2
Transposition

1.Member States shall adopt and publish, by [OP: please insert the date 12 months after the date of entry into force of this Directive], the laws, regulations and administrative provisions necessary to comply with this Directive. They shall forthwith communicate to the Commission the text of those provisions.

They shall apply those provisions from [OP: please insert the date 12 months and one day after the date of entry into force of this Directive].

When Member States adopt those provisions, they shall contain a reference to this Directive or be accompanied by such a reference on the occasion of their official publication. Member States shall determine how such reference is to be made.

2.Member States shall communicate to the Commission the text of the main provisions of national law which they adopt in the field covered by this Directive.

Article 3
Entry into force and application

1.This Directive shall enter into force on the [twentieth] day following that of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.

2.Application of Article 1, points (5), (9), (10) and (11) shall apply from [1 March 2027].

Article 4
Addressees

This Directive is addressed to the Member States.

Done at Brussels,

LEGISLATIVE FINANCIAL AND DIGITAL STATEMENT

1.FRAMEWORK OF THE PROPOSAL/INITIATIVE3

1.1.Title of the proposal/initiative3

1.2.Policy area(s) concerned3

1.3.Objective(s)3

1.3.1.General objective(s)3

1.3.2.Specific objective(s)3

1.3.3.Expected result(s) and impact3

1.3.4.Indicators of performance3

1.4.The proposal/initiative relates to:4

1.5.Grounds for the proposal/initiative4

1.5.1.Requirement(s) to be met in the short or long term including a detailed timeline for roll-out of the implementation of the initiative4

1.5.2.Added value of EU involvement (it may result from different factors, e.g. coordination gains, legal certainty, greater effectiveness or complementarities). For the purposes of this section 'added value of EU involvement' is the value resulting from EU action, that is additional to the value that would have been otherwise created by Member States alone.4

1.5.3.Lessons learned from similar experiences in the past4

1.5.4.Compatibility with the multiannual financial framework and possible synergies with other appropriate instruments5

1.5.5.Assessment of the different available financing options, including scope for redeployment5

1.6.Duration of the proposal/initiative and of its financial impact6

1.7.Method(s) of budget implementation planned6

2.MANAGEMENT MEASURES8

2.1.Monitoring and reporting rules8

2.2.Management and control system(s)8

2.2.1.Justification of the budget implementation method(s), the funding implementation mechanism(s), the payment modalities and the control strategy proposed8

2.2.2.Information concerning the risks identified and the internal control system(s) set up to mitigate them8

2.2.3.Estimation and justification of the cost-effectiveness of the controls (ratio between the control costs and the value of the related funds managed), and assessment of the expected levels of risk of error (at payment & at closure)8

2.3.Measures to prevent fraud and irregularities9

3.ESTIMATED FINANCIAL IMPACT OF THE PROPOSAL/INITIATIVE10

3.1.Heading(s) of the multiannual financial framework and expenditure budget line(s) affected10

3.2.Estimated financial impact of the proposal on appropriations12

3.2.1.Summary of estimated impact on operational appropriations12

3.2.1.1.Appropriations from voted budget12

3.2.1.2.Appropriations from external assigned revenues17

3.2.2.Estimated output funded from operational appropriations22

3.2.3.Summary of estimated impact on administrative appropriations24

3.2.3.1. Appropriations from voted budget24

3.2.3.2.Appropriations from external assigned revenues24

3.2.3.3.Total appropriations24

3.2.4.Estimated requirements of human resources25

3.2.4.1.Financed from voted budget25

3.2.4.2.Financed from external assigned revenues26

3.2.4.3.Total requirements of human resources26

3.2.5.Overview of estimated impact on digital technology-related investments28

3.2.6.Compatibility with the current multiannual financial framework28

3.2.7.Third-party contributions28

3.3.Estimated impact on revenue29

4.Digital dimensions29

4.1.Requirements of digital relevance30

4.2.Data30

4.3.Digital solutions31

4.4.Interoperability assessment31

4.5.Measures to support digital implementation32

1.FRAMEWORK OF THE PROPOSAL/INITIATIVE 

1.1.Title of the proposal/initiative

1.2.Policy area(s) concerned 

1.3.Objective(s)

1.3.1.General objective(s)

1.3.2.Specific objective(s)

1.3.3.Expected result(s) and impact

Specify the effects which the proposal/initiative should have on the beneficiaries/groups targeted.

1.3.4.Indicators of performance

Specify the indicators for monitoring progress and achievements.

1.4.The proposal/initiative relates to: 

 a new action 

 a new action following a pilot project / preparatory action 48  

 the extension of an existing action 

 a merger or redirection of one or more actions towards another/a new action

1.5.Grounds for the proposal/initiative 

1.5.1.Requirement(s) to be met in the short or long term including a detailed timeline for roll-out of the implementation of the initiative

1.5.2.Added value of EU involvement (it may result from different factors, e.g. coordination gains, legal certainty, greater effectiveness or complementarities). For the purposes of this section 'added value of EU involvement' is the value resulting from EU action, that is additional to the value that would have been otherwise created by Member States alone.

1.5.3.Lessons learned from similar experiences in the past

1.5.4.Compatibility with the multiannual financial framework and possible synergies with other appropriate instruments

1.5.5.Assessment of the different available financing options, including scope for redeployment

1.6.Duration of the proposal/initiative and of its financial impact

 limited duration

–    in effect from [DD/MM]YYYY to [DD/MM]YYYY

–    financial impact from YYYY to YYYY for commitment appropriations and from YYYY to YYYY for payment appropriations.

 unlimited duration

–Implementation with a start-up period from YYYY to YYYY,

–followed by full-scale operation.

1.7.Method(s) of budget implementation planned 49  

 Direct management by the Commission

– by its departments, including by its staff in the Union delegations;

–    by the executive agencies

 Shared management with the Member States

 Indirect management by entrusting budget implementation tasks to:

– third countries or the bodies they have designated

– international organisations and their agencies (to be specified)

– the European Investment Bank and the European Investment Fund

– bodies referred to in Articles 70 and 71 of the Financial Regulation

– public law bodies

– bodies governed by private law with a public service mission to the extent that they are provided with adequate financial guarantees

– bodies governed by the private law of a Member State that are entrusted with the implementation of a public-private partnership and that are provided with adequate financial guarantees

– bodies or persons entrusted with the implementation of specific actions in the common foreign and security policy pursuant to Title V of the Treaty on European Union, and identified in the relevant basic act

–bodies established in a Member State, governed by the private law of a Member State or Union law and eligible to be entrusted, in accordance with sector-specific rules, with the implementation of Union funds or budgetary guarantees, to the extent that such bodies are controlled by public law bodies or by bodies governed by private law with a public service mission, and are provided with adequate financial guarantees in the form of joint and several liability by the controlling bodies or equivalent financial guarantees and which may be, for each action, limited to the maximum amount of the Union support.

Comments

2.MANAGEMENT MEASURES 

2.1.Monitoring and reporting rules 

2.2.Management and control system(s) 

2.2.1.Justification of the budget implementation method(s), the funding implementation mechanism(s), the payment modalities and the control strategy proposed

2.2.2.Information concerning the risks identified and the internal control system(s) set up to mitigate them

2.2.3.Estimation and justification of the cost-effectiveness of the controls (ratio between the control costs and the value of the related funds managed), and assessment of the expected levels of risk of error (at payment & at closure) 

2.3.Measures to prevent fraud and irregularities 

3.ESTIMATED FINANCIAL IMPACT OF THE PROPOSAL/INITIATIVE 

3.1.Heading(s) of the multiannual financial framework and expenditure budget line(s) affected 

·Existing budget lines

In order of multiannual financial framework headings and budget lines.

·New budget lines requested

In order of multiannual financial framework headings and budget lines.

3.2.Estimated financial impact of the proposal on appropriations 

3.2.1.Summary of estimated impact on operational appropriations 

–    The proposal/initiative does not require the use of operational appropriations

–    The proposal/initiative requires the use of operational appropriations, as explained below

3.2.1.1.Appropriations from voted budget

EUR million (to three decimal places)

EUR million (to three decimal places)

3.2.1.2.Appropriations from external assigned revenues

EUR million (to three decimal places)

EUR million (to three decimal places)

EUR million (to three decimal places)

3.2.2.Estimated output funded from operational appropriations (not to be completed for decentralised agencies)

Commitment appropriations in EUR million (to three decimal places)

3.2.3.Summary of estimated impact on administrative appropriations 

–    The proposal/initiative does not require the use of appropriations of an administrative nature

–    The proposal/initiative requires the use of appropriations of an administrative nature, as explained below

3.2.3.1. Appropriations from voted budget

3.2.3.2.Appropriations from external assigned revenues

3.2.3.3.Total appropriations

The appropriations required for human resources and other expenditure of an administrative nature will be met by appropriations from the DG that are already assigned to management of the action and/or have been redeployed within the DG, together, if necessary, with any additional allocation which may be granted to the managing DG under the annual allocation procedure and in the light of budgetary constraints.

3.2.4.Estimated requirements of human resources 

–    The proposal/initiative does not require the use of human resources

–    The proposal/initiative requires the use of human resources, as explained below

3.2.4.1.Financed from voted budget

Estimate to be expressed in full-time equivalent units (FTEs) 63

3.2.4.2.Financed from external assigned revenues

3.2.4.3.Total requirements of human resources