INSPIRE is a Directive (2007/2/EC) of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing an Infrastructure for Spatial Information in the European Community. The purpose of such an infrastructure is to assist policy-making in relation to policies and activities that may have a direct or indirect impact on the environment. The Directive entered into force on the 15th May 2007.

To ensure that the spatial data infrastructures of the Member States are compatible and usable cross borders and in a Community context, the Directive requires that common Implementing Rules are adopted in a number of specific areas. One of these areas is metadata.

Based on the comments received, the Commission will submit a proposal for metadata Implementing Rules to the Regulatory Committee envisaged by the Directive.

The deadline for submission of comments has passed. This public consultation was open for a period of eight weeks, from October - December 2007.

• INSPIRE Draft Implementing Rules for Metadata