eunbil · GT0N1284 · 2006-05-19 00:00:00 — THE EUROPEAN UNION , 8 2006 from : the Presidency to : Coreper Subject : A Market for GMES in Europe and its Regions - the Dialogue - Conference report The Austrian EU Presidency organised the expert conference "A market for GMES in Europe and its regions - the dialogue" in , , on 19 and . 200 experts from all relevant stakeholders prepared recommendations for the further development of GMES in Europe. The Austrian EU Presidency submits herewith to the Council this consolidated expert report in view of the future elaboration of Space Programme. The Roadmap for GMES service development The success and long-term sustainability of GMES service development can only be achieved through a user-driven approach. A new step should be reached with the setting-up by mid-2007 of wider, more open and permanent dialogue with the largest possible user community for each service. GMES core services are essentially a public infrastructure for the benefits of European citizens and therefore requires adequate public investments. Consequently, leadership by the public sector is expected. Funding for the needed investments for the space component under "s responsibility will be shared between and the EC. In situ observation and measurement infrastructures should be funded, operated and maintained by Member States and their regional or local entities. The success for effective and user-accessible GMES services relies on a well identified and balanced governance structure which should be effective, in a step-wise , as of 2008. Member States should reflect on the set up of corresponding national data and service interfaces. The fast-track services led by Commission should be open to all EU Member States as well as to all for civilian use. Additional services such as atmosphere monitoring, security and cross-cutting thematic areas such as mountain regions should be implemented as soon as resources permit. Enhanced in situ national and regional observations and data processing and modelling systems required to sustain GMES services should be supported in synergy with level. Union, through i.a. the Commission, the Council and , should identify users" needs and pool their resources in close association with service providers such as EUMETSAT or . Commission leads the debate in the context of the INSPIRE Directive on information infrastructure, data access policies and standards definition. In this context, the line should be drawn between freely-available and pay-per-service. Decisions pertaining to the adoption of a consolidated European-wide purchasing scheme should be taken. Clearly defined users" needs will be the basis of all GMES components, in particular the development of the space component, led by and concerned Member States. Improved definition of the roles and contributions of all stakeholders is needed by mid-2007. This approach will enable the identification of innovative funding schemes, resulting business models and also risk sharing. The stakeholders include i.a. the relevant EU institutions and agencies, , EUMETSAT, Members States (with a particular emphasis on the new EU member countries), space and information industries, in situ systems" integrators. The participation of all Member States is requested to enhance the awareness on GMES advantages. Grassroots information campaigns on available and potential future services and cost benefits appear necessary throughout Europe, taking into account national service delivery mandates and legal requirements. Information should be clear in order to be understood by and useful to the general public, the users and the policy makers. Synergies should be encouraged, whenever applicable, between civil and defence uses. Alongside EU and national user needs, the regional dimension is essential to the definition and use of GMES services. The creation of a "Regions" Conference on GMES Use" will be important for the expansion of GMES markets. The setting-up by Community of a funding mechanism for supporting a direct participation of regions in GMES services is highly recommended. Further to the decisions of the third meeting of the in (), and the at ministerial level in (5-6 December 2005), the Austrian Federal , Innovation and Technology considered the convening of the Conference on GMES as a priority of the Austrian EU Presidency. The Conference taking place in marks the outcome of preparatory activities organised by - ESPI -, jointly with EURISY in (), with the Conseil Régional in (9 2006) and with the Hungarian in (24 2006). Moreover, additional meetings organised by the in () and by Association of in (21 2006) contributed to nurturing the discussions. It is worth mentioning that a total of about eight hundred professionals actively participated in those events. Based upon the orientations on GMES adopted at the third , GMES is an EU-led initiative the objective of which is to provide, on a sustained basis, reliable and timely information services related to environmental and security issues in support of public policy makers" needs. This approach should prevail at European Union, as well as at and regional levels. From the extensive discussions held on the above mentioned occasions, the Austrian EU Presidency would like to highlight and recommend the implementation of the following points: A) Strategic dimension All stakeholders acknowledge the strategic dimension of GMES. They also insist on the user-driven and service-oriented approach; the emphasis is put on meeting initially public sector needs through services delivered in the most efficient way, in close association, where possible, with the private sector. However, GMES core services are essentially a public infrastructure for the benefits of European citizens and therefore requires adequate public investments. The approved and ongoing earth observation programmes contribute to gain and maintain non-dependence in earth observation in support of political decision making. This non-dependence will enable Europe to play its role particularly in answering the international dimension of the Union"s policies, as well as those of Member States. The need to develop partnerships, in particular with GEOSS, is recognised. The launch in 2005 by Commission of three fast-track services on emergency response, land monitoring and services should be further developed, validated and in operation by 2008. The synergies for the users with the service elements (GSE) and EU integrated projects should be ensured. It appears necessary to promote urgently the definition, adoption and implementation of additional services in the field of atmosphere monitoring and security as well as in cross-cutting thematic areas such as mountain regions. The continuity over a long period of data necessary to the of GMES services on an operational basis has to be guaranteed in order for users at European and level to invest in satellite-related and in-situ systems. , EUMETSAT and Member States operating satellite resources should strengthen the required links with users and also guarantee in a timely and seamless fashion access to those existing or planned satellite resources. This is a critical element together with the definition of well identified national data and interfaces. Commission assisted by leads the debate in the context of the INSPIRE Directive on information infrastructure, data access policies as well as on the definition and adoption of common standards, and support the integration of these assets at the political level. should lead the development of the space component and assure the operational access of EO data from satellites of EU and . A close association with service providers such as EUMETSAT is necessary. In situ observation and measurement infrastructures should be funded, operated and maintained by Member States, regional or local entities. Modern crises are progressively changing in character from routine emergencies with consolidated crisis management in all phases, to unexpected inconceivable threats which come true. Emphasis should be put on increasing resilience and preparedness of society and in developing tools and procedures to respond to all type of crisis. The GMES component should address all those elements. B) Management and economic dimensions The success for effective and user-accessible GMES services relies on a well identified governance structure for GMES, the development of which should balance the necessary coordination at a European level with increasing interests for participation at the national and regional level. It should, to the largest extent possible, preserve the interests of all stakeholders involved. Important issues were dealt with at four meetings of an ad hoc working group on "Future GMES structure and governance" co-chaired by Commission and the Austrian EU Presidency. Approval of a comprehensive management scheme should be obtained at the latest by the end of 2007. The leadership taken by Commission is acknowledged. The ongoing studies on costs and benefits analysis of GMES services will provide much needed information for decision taking. It is worth noting, on the one hand, that the required investments into GMES infrastructure (space and in-situ) are in the order of several hundreds of millions of Euros per year during the build-up phase, up to approximately 2013; during the operational phase the costs are significantly lower. On the other hand, the socio-economic benefits for European citizens are large, estimated in the order of billons of Euros per year. The strategic benefits are much larger but difficult to quantify. Financial sustainability of GMES needs to be addressed and resolved and it calls for investments from all involved parties. The implementation of GMES should lead to greater competitiveness in the sense of the agenda with increased employment in high-quality jobs through the creation of a high-tech industry. The objective is to generate high quality services and favour over time the emergence of a dynamic private sector. It is recognised that GMES, particularly satellites, will provide economies of scale (at pan-European or global levels) and of scope (different user communities working on the same data). C) Networking and regional dimensions Commission, Council, , EUMETSAT, EUSC, EEA and their respective Member States at national, regional and local level are all part of this network. An impetus by members is seen as key to developing regional demand and supply. The participation of all Member States is necessary to enhance the awareness on GMES advantages. issues are: What are the strengths and weaknesses of existing and operational services? What is the time frame? The relevance to needs? However, as the potential of new Member States in GMES is still not fully exploited, there is a pressing need to increase their involvement in GMES. Evidence based demonstrations are required to convince decision-makers. The regional dimension is essential to the definition and use of GMES services. This statement is justified by two observations of political and physical geography nature. (i) Most European regional governments have an explicit or implicit mandate by their populations to fulfil a number of direct management tasks in areas linked to the environment, emergencies and security, usually in partnership with national or European levels. (ii) Although they vary within the Union, the size and characteristics of regions are well suited to dealing consistently and coherently with a number of issues. They are involved inter alia in resource management, agriculture and forestry, catchment"s basins, air quality monitoring, trans-boundary air pollution, integrated management of areas, and natural or technological risks. It is desirable to draw up a technical report containing as full an inventory as possible of the needs of the regions, and to present it to the () and to . In this spirit, and following the example of the , the creation of a Regions" Conference on GMES Use, as soon as possible, would reinforce dialogue among all concerned actors. This appears to be a useful step and shall aim at further developing the user base and create commercial opportunities for SMEs and major infrastructure suppliers. It is recommended that a group of European GMES pilot regions be set up under the aegis of Commission, with the task of validating the GMES services at regional level and assessing their impact. The group"s activities would be incorporated, for example, into the initial activities of the possible upcoming of a Regions" Conference on GMES Use. 9081/06 TB/ep/amr DG C II LIMITEEN 9081/06 TB/ep/amr II LIMITEEN