Directive 2007/2/EC lays down general rules for the establishment of the Infrastructure for Spatial Information in the European Community. Within this infrastructure, Member States are required to make available data sets related to one or several of the Annexes in Directive 2007/2/EC and the corresponding spatial data services in conformity with the technical arrangements for the interoperability and, where practicable, harmonisation of spatial data sets and services.

The technical arrangements take into account relevant user requirements, which were elicited from stakeholders through a user requirements survey and by analysing the submitted reference material and relevant Union environmental policies and policies or activities which may have an impact on the environment.

The feasibility of the technical arrangements and their proportionality in terms of the likely costs and benefits were analysed by the Commission based on the testing results reported by the stakeholders, replies from Member States through the national contact points to a request for information on cost benefit considerations and evidence from studies conducted by Member States on the costs and benefits of spatial data infrastructures at regional level.

Representatives of Member States as well as other natural or legal persons with an interest in the spatial data, including users, producers, added value service providers or any coordinating body were given the opportunity to participate in the drafting of the technical arrangements through proposed experts and to evaluate the draft implementing rules through a stakeholder consultation and testing exercise.

In order to achieve interoperability and benefit from the endeavours of users’ and producers’ communities, when appropriate, international standards are integrated into the concepts and definitions of the elements of spatial data themes listed in the Directive 2007/2/EC Annex I, II or III.

In order to ensure interoperability and harmonisation across spatial data themes, the Member States should meet requirements for common data types, the identification of spatial objects, metadata for interoperability, generic network model and other concepts and rules that apply to all spatial data themes.

In order to ensure the interoperability and harmonisation within one spatial data theme, the Member States should use the classifications and definitions of spatial objects, their key attributes and association roles, data types, value domains and specific rules that apply to individual spatial data theme.

Since the code list values required for the implementation of this Regulation are not included in this Regulation, this Regulation should only become applicable once these are adopted as a legal act. It is therefore appropriate to defer the applicability of this Regulation.

The measures provided for in this Regulation are in accordance with the opinion of the Committee established by Article 22 of Directive 2007/2/EC,