INSPIRE Knowledge Base

Greece - 2021: Country Fiche

Table of Contents
  • Introduction
  • State of Play
    • Coordination
    • Functioning and coordination of the infrastructure
    • Usage of the infrastructure for spatial information
    • Data Sharing Arrangements
    • Costs and Benefits
  • Key Facts and Figures. 
    • Monitoring Indicators
Introduction

The INSPIRE Directive sets the minimum conditions for interoperable sharing and exchange of spatial data across Europe as part of a larger European Interoperability Framework and the e-Government Action Plan that contributes to the Digital Single Market Agenda. Article 21 of INSPIRE Directive defines the basic principles for monitoring and reporting. More detailed implementing rules regarding INSPIRE monitoring and reporting have been adopted as Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2019/1372 on the 19th August 2019.

This country fiche highlights the progress in the various areas of INSPIRE implementation. It includes information on monitoring 2020 acquired in December 2020 and Member States update.

State Of Play

The Ministry for Environment and Energy (MEE), has the responsibility for the creation and maintenance of the NSDI and the INSPIRE implementation. MEE has developed a geoportal (geoportal.ypen.gr), in which the priority datasets are available “as-is” through discovery, view and download services. At the end of 2020, the geoportal of MEE (geoportal.ypen.gr) provided access to 59 datasets. The metadata catalogue is linked to the INSPIRE Geoportal since November 2018.

The catalogue is continuously optimized and new datasets will be added. In late 2020, a project regarding the harmonization of the Priority Datasets started. It is expected to be completed by the end of 2021. On the occasion of the harmonization project, the PDS list was revisited in order to be updated and to identify more spatial e-reporting datasets. This task is expected to contribute to the modernization of reporting data creation and maintenance.

Eleven years after the INSPIRE transposition law, which also was the legal basis for the development of the NSDI for the first time in Greece, and after the continuous administrative changes, the organizational scheme must be reviewed and reorganized, in order to support the MEE to fulfill its purpose and engage other public authorities by providing spatial data and services. On this basis, a Strategy for the Greek NSDI was prepared in 2020. The Strategy went through a public consultation procedure and is expected to be adopted in 2021. The NSDI Strategy is expected to trigger the necessary administrative and legal changes in order to move forward with the implementation of INSPIRE in Greece and the creation of the NSDI.

Coordination

National Contact Point
Name of Public Authority: 
Ministry of Environment and Energy
Postal Address: 

2 Panormou Str, 11523, Athens, GREECE

Contact Email: 
Click to email
Telephone Number: 
(+30) 210 6469813, (+30) 210 6437895, (+30) 210 6438449
National INSPIRE Website: 
http://www.ypeka.gr
MIG Contacts: 
Contact Person: 
Eleni Grigoriou
Email: 
el.grigoriou@prv.ypeka.gr
Contact Person: 
Aliki Fatourou
Email: 
a.fatourou@prv.ypeka.gr
MIG T Contacts: 
Contact Person: 
Eleni Grigoriou
Email: 
el.grigoriou@prv.ypeka.gr
Coordination Structure & Progress: 
  • National Contact point

Name of public authority

Ministry for Environment and Energy

Mailing address

 2 Panormou Str, 11523, Athens, GREECE

Telephone number

 (+30) 210 6469813, (+30) 210 6437895

E-mail

eygep.support@prv.ypeka.gr, dgeopl@prv.ypeka.gr

Website address

https://ypen.gov.gr/

http://geoportal.ypen.gr/geonetwork/srv/eng/catalog.search#/home 

 

Contact person
  • Aliki Fatourou, Member of the INSPIRE Committee, Member of the MIG
  • Eleni Grigoriou, Member of the MIG-T, Alternative member of the INSPIRE Committee and the MIG.

Telephone number

 (+30) 210 6469813, (+30) 210 6437895

E-mail
  • a.fatourou@prv.ypeka.gr
  • el.grigoriou@prv.ypeka.gr
  • Coordination Structure
        • In accordance with Article 18 of Law 3882/2010, as amended by Article 1 of Law 4164/2013 and following the provisions of the Presidential Decree No 132/30-10-2017, the public authority responsible for the implementation of the INSPIRE Directive and the development of the NSDI, is the Ministry for Environment and Energy (MEE). The Ministry  is the National Contact Point for INSPIRE and participates with representatives in the INSPIRE Committee and the MIG.
        • In accordance with the transposition law 3882/2010, the political body that decides upon the national geoinformation policy in terms of legal, administrative and technological interoperability and monitors its implementation is the National Committee for Geo-Information (NCG).
        • In late 2019, the elaboration of the National Geospatial Strategy concerning the creation of the NSDI and the implementation of the Directive began. The Strategy went through a public consultation procedure and is expected to be adopted in 2021. The NSDI Strategy is expected to trigger the necessary administrative and legal changes in order to move forward with the implementation of INSPIRE in Greece and the creation of the NSDI.
  • Progress
        • Due to the continuous structural changes in Public Administration from 2013 - 2018, planning and implementation of the NSDI has not made satisfactory progress, in organizational aspects. The need to change the organizational structure still remains.
        • The recent institutional and organizational reforms in the period 2017-2018, have assigned the institutional, legal, organizational and technical responsibilities of the NSDI to the MEE, consolidating the responsibilities in both technical and administrative aspects.
        • In 2018, the Directorate of Geospatial Information published the first version of the INSPIRE metadata catalog, providing access to a set of Priority Datasets through discovery, view and download services. The metadata catalog is linked to the INSPIRE Geoportal and is being optimized continuously. More datasets will be added gradually, as the cataloguing of the officially produced datasets by all Public Administration is progressing. This datasets registry will reflect the statutory responsibilities of each Public Body and will establish the network of data providers. This work, also aims to highlight the deficiencies found in the production of geospatial data and will help to formulate a policymaking proposal about the production and management of spatial information.
        • The new geoportal (http://geoportal.ypen.gr) was built by the Directorate in house using free and open source software (FOSS) and is set up in the governmental cloud. This strategic choice led to improving the capacity and know-how of the MEE’s services.
        • In late 2020, a project regarding the harmonization of the Priority Datasets started. It is expected to be completed by the end of 2021. On the occasion of the harmonization project, the PDS list was revisited in order to be updated and to identify more spatial e-reporting datasets. This task is expected to contribute to the modernization of reporting data creation and maintenance.

Functioning and coordination of the infrastructure

  • The MEE is the responsible organization in terms of institutional, organizational and technical aspects of the NSDI development and INSPIRE implementation.
  • The first version of the Greek Geospatial Data Catalogue was developed in house using FOSS and the infrastructure provided by the governmental cloud (http://geoportal.ypen.gr/geonetwork/srv/eng/catalog.search#/home). The catalogue is linked to the INSPIRE Geoportal and the INSPIRE compliance is gradually achieved.
  • In the near future, in order for the NSDI to be complete and sustainable, more public authorities are going to be engaged. This participation will be based on a new Geospatial Data Strategy and Policy, commonly accepted by all the stakeholders

Usage of the infrastructure for spatial information

  • Until now, no measurements are available on the use of geospatial data sets and services.
  • There have been no data exchanges or collaborations on spatial information with other EU Member States.

Data sharing arrangements

  • Τhere has been no change in data sharing between public authorities and the EU institutions. It continues to be governed by the provisions of Article 27 of Law 3882/2010, relating to the sharing of geospatial data and services between public authorities. It applies in the same way to public authorities in other Member States of the EU, to EU institutions and bodies, and to bodies established by international agreements to which the EU and Member States are members, solely within their core scope and remit which may have an impact on the environment.
  • Many of the barriers to data sharing mentioned in the previous reports still persist, mainly because of the lack of a National Geoinformation Policy and an operational NSDI. 

Costs and benefits

  • Neither quantitative nor qualitative cost/benefit measurements are available for the period 2016-2018.
Key facts and figures