The INSPIRE (Infrastructure for Spatial Information in the European Community) directive is a European Union initiative to create a standardized framework for sharing and accessing spatial information across member states.

Enforced since 2007, INSPIRE promotes the development of a harmonized Spatial Data Infrastructure (SDI), ensuring interoperability of geospatial data for environmental policies. It mandates EU countries to establish and maintain accessible, interoperable, and high-quality spatial data sets related to themes such as land use, transportation, and environmental monitoring.

INSPIRE facilitates better decision-making on ecological issues, enhances public access to geographical data, and fosters collaboration among European countries in managing and sharing spatial information.

European INSPIRE directive full text available through this link: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:32007L0002 (PDF file)