Diapositive 1

1
The economical model of Météo-France in the WMO
and European context
2
The economical model of Météo-France in the WMO
and European context
Context
Plan
Increasing commercial value of meteorological
information ? Reso 40, ECOMET
1
Some key issues
1
Economical model of Météo-France
2
Development of the knowledge society ? access
to and use of information
2
Compatibility with European directives
3
Suitability of WMO/ECOMET policy?
Transparency of data and products costs
3
4
3
Some key issues
NMSs (public activities)
Infra- structures
Public duties Services
National State budget
Free and unrestricted exchange of basic data and
products
Data
Products
Level playing field
Commercial Services
Commercial revenues
NMS commercial branches Private sector
4
Reasons for discussion
European directives
WMO/ECOMET
Basic NMSs responsibilities (safety, security,
economic benefits)
1
1
Need to greater awareness of environmental matters
Who pays for what? Is there a best scheme ?
Need for government to provide infrastructure and
strengthen NMSs capabilities
2
More information beneficial to environment
protection
2
Essential contribution of NMSs and WMO to the
activities of the competitive sector
3
Citizen rights to access public sector
information
3
5
The economical model of Météo-France (1/2)
Météo-France an organization legally and fully
responsible for its technical and financial
management including investments under a
4-year contract with the government
State budget
Commercial revenue
Specific tax
Direct lt 50 Contracts with other public bodies
gt 10
60
15
25
Public duties departments
Commercial Branch
Aeronautic sector
Negotiation of performance targets
Contact with end users
Definition of services
6
The economical model of Météo-France (2/2)

• The model limits the contribution of taxpayers
  to the official duties of Météo-France
• Improvements are stimulated by direct feed-back
  from public and private customers
• Commercial profit could be reinvested to cover a
  fraction of basic infrastructures, but
  investments limited if revenues fall short of
  expectations

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WMO/ECOMET references Resolution 40 ECOMET
foundations
Resolution 40 Recognizing (2) The basic
responsibility of Members and their NMSs to
provide universal services in support of safety,
security and economic benefits for the peoples of
their countries, (4) The continuing requirement
for Governments to provide for the meteorological
infrastructure of their countries, (5) The
continuing need for, and benefits from,
strengthening the capabilities of NMSs, in
particular in developing countries, to improve
the provision of services, (7) The right of
Governments to choose the manner by, and the
extent to, which they make data and products
available domestically or for international
exchange,
The concept of ECOMET ECOMET is an Economic
Interest Grouping under Belgian law located in
Brussels. ECOMET was created end of 1995. Its 20
Members are the National Meteorological Services
(NMSs) of Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland,
France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland,
Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands,
Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland,
Turkey and the United-Kingdom. The ECOMET
grouping reinforces the traditional relationships
amongst the NMSs and the developing
relationships with the private sector within the
relevant EU regulations. After having confirmed
its intention to do so in September 1997, the
European Commission (Directorate-General
Competition) approved the ECOMET arrangements in
October 1999.
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Compatibility with European directives 2003/04
Public access to environmental information
(18) Public authorities should be able to make a
charge for supplying environmental information
but such a charge should be reasonable. This
implies that, as a general rule, charges may not
exceed actual costs of producing the material in
question. Instances where advance payment will be
required should be limited. In particular cases,
where public authorities make available
environmental information on a commercial basis,
and where this is necessary in order to guarantee
the continuation of collecting and publishing
such information, a market-based charge is
considered to be reasonable an advance payment
may be required.

• Main recognized principles
• the possibility for charges in relation with
  production costs
• the rationale behind the economical model used
  by Météo-France

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Compatibility with European directives 2003/98
Re-use of public sector information
(14) Where charges are made, the total income
should not exceed the total costs of collecting,
producing, reproducing and disseminating
documents, together with a reasonable return on
investment, having due regard to the
self-financing requirements of the public sector
body concerned, where applicable. Production
includes creation and collation, and
dissemination may also include user support.
Recovery of costs, together with a reasonable
return on investment, consistent with applicable
accounting principles and the relevant cost
calculation method of the public sector body
concerned, constitutes an upper limit to the
charges, as any excessive prices should be
precluded. The upper limit for charges set in
this Directive is without prejudice to the right
of Member States or public sector bodies to apply
lower charges or no charges at all, and Member
States should encourage public sector bodies to
make documents available at charges that do not
exceed the marginal costs for reproducing and
disseminating the documents.

• Important indications for the public sector
• return of investment linked to the financing
  context
• cost recovery and return on investment based on
  accounting principles and cost calculation method

10
Compatibility with European directives 550/2004
provision of air navigation services in the
Single European Sky

• CHARGING SCHEMES
• Article 14
• General
• In accordance with the requirements of Articles
  15 and 16, a charging scheme for air navigation
  services shall be developed that contributes to
  the achievement of greater transparency with
  respect to the determination, imposition and
  enforcement of charges to airspace users.
• This scheme shall also be consistent with Article
  15 of the 1944 Chicago Convention on
  International Civil Aviation and with
  Eurocontrols charging system for en route
  charges.
• Article 15
• Principles
• 1. The charging scheme shall be based on the
  account of costs for air navigation services
  incurred by service providers for the benefit of
  airspace users. The scheme shall allocate these
  costs among categories of users.
• 2. The following principles shall be applied when
  establishing the cost-base for charges
• the cost to be shared among airspace users shall
  be the full cost of providing air navigation
  services, including appropriate amounts for
  interest on capital investment and depreciation
  of assets, as well as the costs of maintenance,
  operation, management and administration
• (b) / (c) / (d)
• (e) transparency of the cost-base for charges
  shall be guaranteed. Implementing rules for the
  provision of information by the service providers
  shall be adopted in order to permit reviews of
  the providers forecasts, actual costs and
  revenues. Information shall be regularly
  exchanged between the national supervisory
  authorities, service providers, airspace users,
  the Commission and Eurocontrol.

• Best practices to be shared and spread
• identification of contributing costs
• transparency and information to all actors

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Transparency of data and products
costs Météo-France analytical accounting (1/2)

• First cost modelling scheme applied in early
  90s to identify the full cost of the services to
  aviation
• Main temporary findings
• unbalance between Revenues (from Aviation) and
  Expenses (for Météo-France) R lt E
• problems of allocation of long term investments
  (e.g. contribution to observation from space)
• Way forward discussion with the final users
• identification of requested services not
  provided adequately and products not requested or
  useless
• agreed rules to account for long term
  investments and amortizations

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Transparency of data and products
costs Météo-France analytical accounting (2/2)

• Today, full functional model covering all
  Météo-France activities aviation,
  institutional, commercial
• Aviation
• unbalance between Revenues ( 75 M) and
  Expenses ( 90 M) identified and almost limited
  to services in overseas territories
• Institutional
• Staff costs 63 - Running costs 31 -
  Amortizations 6
• Commercial
• contribution of data and products sales (ECOMET)
  to infrastructure costs 2

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Thank you for listening