Position Statement as of 15 March 2006 on
Environmental Data Management in Europe issued by the
Association of Private Meteorological Services (PRIMET)

1. Introduction

The collection, handling and further distribution of environmental data have from the beginning been primary tasks for the National Meteorological Services (NMSs) and similar agencies. In addition many governmental entities have in recent years initiated commercial activities based on the data they have collected as part of their public duties. Such activities have resulted in conflicts between public bodies and the private sector.

For an overview, reference is made to ANNEX 1: "Concerns of the Private Meteorological Sector in Relation to the National Meteorological and Hydrological Institutes in Europe", which was produced for the meeting between PRIMET and ECOMET on 3 November 2004 in Oslo.

Another perspective of this problem area is provided by an article published on Thursday 9, 2006 in The Guardian; the beginning of the article is attached as ANNEX 2.

2. PRIMET Objectives

Looking at the earlier PRIMET position as highlighted in ANNEX 1, clearly the situation has not appreciably changed since the meeting with ECOMET in November 2004. We therefore suggest in the following a new way forward, and try to enter into a more efficient and constructive dialogue with ECOMET and the National Meteorological Services with a view to creating a genuinely level playing field in the weather market.

Our objectives, as detailed below, are: (i) Full access to data at a fair price and (ii) an end to unfair competition from the National Meteorological Services.

(i) Full access to data at a fair price

The private sector is willing to pay for guaranteed access to quality data, to support the investments by the NMSs in improved infrastructure for the collection of meteorological data.

We ask only that data are made available on an equal, fair and reasonable basis to everyone, including:

• access to ALL data collected by ECOMET members and used by them to provide their commercial services, at the highest time frequency and resolution available, from a single provider.
• a single, consistent, simplified, transparent and reasonable pricing mechanism that applies to ALL data users, including the NMSs themselves.
• simultaneous transmission of data to all users so no unfair market advantages are created by earlier supply
• delivery charges that reflect the actual cost of delivery, in conformity with the requirements of the Environmental Data Directive
• regular dialogue with ECOMET/the National Meteorological Services regarding their data policies, with their plans for upgrading and improving the data available.

The current system is, in effect, a major barrier to fair competition in the weather market - huge variations in pricing and supply policy between countries, prohibitively high data pricing, unreasonable and unpredictable variations in prices, and even data that are actively withheld from the private sector.

(ii) An end to unfair competition

The issues here are set out clearly in ANNEX 1 and there is not much to add.

However, in order for things to move forward we need to discuss the role of ECOMET. ECOMET must fulfil a role in ensuring that the NMSs adhere to the terms of the EC DG-IV Comfort letter of October 21, 1999. Furthermore it must be able to respond promptly to concerns raised by the private sector and to take action if the NMS is found to be contravening the terms of the Comfort Letter.

Finally, and most importantly, we must see progress towards a genuine separation of the public and private activities of the NMS, visibility of their accounting and comfort that when they are selling into the commercial sector they are operating under the same market conditions as we are. ECOMET needs to support this aim and to help drive this forward.