Community Information System (CIS)

This new website version of the Community Information System (CIS) has been developed as an integral part of the "framework for cooperation in the field of marine pollution" established under the European Parliament and Council Decision n° 2850 of 20/12/2000, which established that the CIS would be simplified by the use of a modern automatic data-processing system.

In fact, the experience gained within the European Community since 1981 in the field of countermeasures of marine pollution has clearly shown that the exchange of information is vital for every operational intervention, but also that any delay in this respect can jeopardize the success of the intervention. This new presentation of the Community Information System has been developed to cover this need for "quick consultation" of the information within the System; it also allows for updating the information in "real time" by Member States.

In addition to the use of the Internet, this new version introduces some new elements with regard to the previous CIS paper version. Moreover, the previous CIS was only distributed to national authorities and international organizations responsible for the control and reduction of marine pollution. The present version is open for consultation by everyone who has an interest in the subject. Hopefully, it could generate public interest at large and open up this unknown aspect of the protection of the environment.

The goal of the Community Information System is to provide a modern-day operational tool for those directly involved in responding to accidental pollution. Categories of data were rationalized and their distribution to the users on different sites connected in the same network via the Internet.

The Community Information System is composed of a Community Homepage and of National home pages.

The Community home page presents inter alia the history of the CIS, the legal basis, a summary of oil properties, the impact reference system and the emergency procedures at Community level.

Each national home page contains the Country profile with the corresponding organization in the field of response to marine pollution, the location of stockpiles, ships and aircraft for dealing with marine pollution, the inventory of main means, conditions for their lease, and other relevant information that is introduced by the responsible national authorities. For each national home page an authority is responsible for the control and validation of the information included.