The European Parliament adopted by 633 votes to 43 with 11 abstentions a resolution on a European strategy on Cooperative Intelligent Transport Systems in response to the Commission Communication on this subject.
Clear legal framework: whilst welcoming the Commission communication, Parliament highlighted the need for a clear legal framework to support the deployment in the EU of Cooperative Intelligent Transport System (C-ITS). It stressed the potential of C-ITS to improve fuel efficiency, lowering the cost of individual transport and reducing the negative impact of traffic on the environment.
It also highlighted the potential of digital technologies and related business models in road transport and recognised the strategy as an important milestone towards the development of C-ITS and, ultimately, fully connected and automated mobility with a view to making transport seamless and safer, reduce congestion, energy consumption and emissions, as well as improving the interconnection of different modes of transport.
Parliament underlined the urgent need to establish an ambitious EU strategy that coordinates national and regional efforts and maximises cooperation between different sectors such as transport, energy and telecommunications.
The Commission was called upon to:
- present a specific timetable with clear targets for what the EU needs to achieve between 2019 and 2029, to prioritise the deployment by 2019 of those C-ITS services that have the highest safety potential and ensure that these services are available in all new vehicles across Europe;
- consider how to address the coexistence on the roads of cooperative, connected and automated vehicles and non-connected vehicles and drivers; safeguard systems should be incorporated during the transition phase of co-existence, so as not to jeopardize road safety;
- draw up the definitions and safety requirements needed, and update the European Statement of Principles on human-machine interface (HMI) for in-vehicle information and communication systems.
The resolution also emphasised:
- the importance of applying the EU legislation on privacy and data protection with regard to C-ITS and connected ecosystem data. Smart vehicles should comply fully with the General Data Protection Regulation;
- the importance of the application of harmonised and high standards of cybersecurity in preventing hacking and cyber-attacks in all Member States;
- the need for a technology-neutral hybrid communication approach that combines wireless short-range communication and cellular and satellite technologies, which will ensure the best possible support for deployment of the basic C-ITS services.
Common European approach: Parliament encourages the Member States and local authorities, vehicle manufacturers, road operators and the ITS industry to implement C-ITS by 2019. It recommended:
- designating proper funding under the Connecting Europe Facility, European Structural and Investment Funds and the European Fund for Strategic Investments for the upgrading and maintenance of the future road infrastructure;
- continued funding for research and innovation (Horizon 2020) in full respect of the principle of transparency and with the provision of regular information on EU co-financing;
- creating a truly multimodal transport system, integrating all modes of transport into a single mobility service using real-time information, taking into account integrated ticketing and shared mobility services as well as walking and cycling;
- rapidly establishing an adequate legal framework to achieve EU-wide cross-border interoperability and a framework laying down rules on liability for the use of the various forms of connected transport; the Commission should publish a legislative proposal on access to in-vehicle data and resources by the end of the year.
Lastly, Parliament called on car manufacturers to provide consumers with sufficient and clear information about their rights and the benefits and limitations of new C-ITS technologies in terms of safety.