PURPOSE: to introduce in the EC motor vehicle type-approval system a requirement for fitting an eCall in-vehicle system.
PROPOSED ACT: Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council.
ROLE OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT: the European Parliament decides in accordance with the ordinary legislative procedure and on an equal footing with the Council.
BACKGROUND: road safety is an issue of major concern across the entire European Union and for all of its citizens. Currently, road journeys exceed 100 million annually across the various Member States and they are increasing due to further consolidation of the European Union.
The purpose of the interoperable EU-wide eCall initiative is ultimately to introduce in all vehicles in the EU the minimum functionalities needed to ensure adequate handling of the emergency calls by the emergency response services. Action is needed at EU level in order to guarantee interoperability and continuity of the service throughout Europe.
IMPACT ASSESSMENT: the Commission analysed three options : Option 1 : no EU action; Option 2 : voluntary approach; Option 3 : regulatory measures. Option 3 is the chosen option.
The benefits identified through the impact assessment include:
· reduction of fatalities (with all vehicles eCall-equipped, between 1% and 10% depending on country population density, road and emergency response infrastructure);
· reduction of seriousness of the injuries (between 2% and 15%);
· reduction of congestion costs caused by traffic accidents;
· facilitation of rescue services and increased security of rescue team (e.g. firefighters) when extracting trapped occupants, as the Minimum Set of Data (“MSD”) in the eCall message will, among others, provide information on the fuel type;
· reduced SOS roadside infrastructure, as each road user would be able to trigger an emergency call from their vehicle.
LEGAL BASIS: Article 114 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU).
CONTENT: the proposed Regulation forms part of a set of EU legal acts for ensuring the deployment of the 112-based eCall service by 1 October 2015. The other main legislative acts linked to this eCall initiative are: Commission Recommendation 2011/750/EU of 8 September 2011 as well as the Proposal for Decision of the European Parliament and of the Council on the deployment of the interoperable EU-wide eCall.
The proposal:
- requires new types of passenger cars and light commercial vehicles to be constructed as to ensure that in the event of a severe accident an emergency call (eCall) to the 112 is triggered automatically. It must also be possible to trigger manually emergency calls (eCalls) to the 112;
- provides for rules concerning privacy and data protection.
BUDGETARY IMPLICATION: there are no budgetary implications for the EU budget.
DELEGATED ACTS: the proposal contains provisions empowering the Commission to adopt delegated acts in accordance with Article 290 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union.