Access to Geographic Information: A European Perspective

This article is offered to stimulate the formulation of a cross-Atlantic research agenda on access to geographic information. The article is organized in four sections. The first sets the context for the article. The second reviews at some length recent developments in Europe in relation to access to public sector information and the development of the Information Society. The geographic information dimension of these developments and the emergence of a strong environmental policy framework are also discussed. The third section focuses on developments in data policy at the national level using the United Kingdom as an example, as this country has often been depicted as being, in policy terms, at the antithesis of the United States federal policy. The fourth section concludes the article and identifies three main strands of research on access to geographic information that deserve a concerted effort by the research community in Europe. quarters of the total European population (Russia excluded). Negotiations are almost complete for the enlargement of the Union to another 10 countries in 2004, with a further three countries to follow once they have met the relevant criteria. By the end of the decade, the EU may have up to 28 member countries and a population of some 550 million inhabitants. The challenges entailed by such massive enlargement are far from trivial and consume a significant amount of political energy within the EU. The decision-making process in the EU is complex. The key institutions are the European Council, which includes the Prime Ministers and Heads of State of the member countries, and the European Parliament, which is elected by universal suffrage and has co-decision powers on some issues. Sectoral policies are decided by the Council of Ministers (i.e., a collection of the competent ministers of the Member states) in co-decision with Parliament. The European Commission (EC) is the other key institution. The responsibilities of the EC are threefold: it initiates Community action; it ensures that the Treaties are correctly implemented; and it is the executive body for Community rules and programmes. In other words, the Council and Parliament must wait for a Commission proposal before they can legislate, and it generally falls to the Commission to apply or enforce the decisions taken and Community law. Therefore, the EC is not like a fully fledged national or federal government. Although powerful, it is essentially a relatively small administrative body, with a staff of 15,000, 20% of which are devoted to translate key documents in the 11 languages of the EU, managing a budget of € 97 billion (1999), which is just over 1% of the combined gross domestic product (GDP) of the Member states (www.europa.int). The main policy areas of the EU in financial terms are agriculture policy (€ 43 bn. per annum) and regional policy (€ 31 bn.), representing 45% and 33%, respectively, of the EU budget. Given that some 4% goes to administration, all other internal policy areas, external actions, and aid to the accession countries combined absorb only 18% of the budget. Given the relatively