“The monitoring and accessibility of Estonian environmental data are declared to be the best in conjunction with United Kingdom, Germany and Sweden. As the aim of this analysis is to direct the countries’ attention to a better organization of data exchange, we can be a good example to other countries with our IT-solutions,” said the Minister of the Environment Keit Pentus. “The constant monitoring of the environment, collecting data on it and making it accessible concerns directly people’s life quality. Therefore we regard it seriously in Estonia,” added Pentus. EEA analyzed the results of the data flow submitted through European Environment Information and Observation Network (Eionet) during the period from May 2010 to April 2011. The table includes altogether 38 countries. In the data exchange analysis, 12 regular and priority data flows were evaluated among 32 EEA Member States and 6 cooperating States. In addition, data on 4 other data flows were collected concerning intraoperatively measured ozone concentration, water resources, effluent indicators and European Pollutant Release and Transfer Register. Estonian reporting requirements before EEA are fulfilled by the Estonian Environment Information Centre, belonging to the area of government of the Ministry of the Environment. Enterprises and institutions enter environmental data into information systems; these are processed by the Estonian Environment Information Centre, who does extra calculations, if necessary, and delivers them in a required format to European Environment Agency. For example, in the year 2010, reports on the air were made by 1750 enterprises; the year before, by 1844 enterprises. On the basis of the quality data collected via Eionet, EEA compiles Europe-wide environmental reviews, analyzes and delivers data for utilization to the European Commission, Eurostat and several other institutions. The data are also used by science and business circles as well as by the public. |
