The European Parliament adopted by 417 votes to 6, with 5 abstentions, a resolution on the Commission’s Communication entitled “Towards Europe-wide Safer, Cleaner and Efficient Mobility: The First Intelligent Car Report”.

The own initiative report had been tabled for consideration in plenary by Zita GURMAI (PES, HU) on behalf of the Committee on Transport and Tourism.

The Parliament believes that intelligent vehicle systems can help to reduce congestion, pollution and the number and seriousness of road accidents, but that their market penetration rate is still too low. It suggests that the Commission pay special attention to countries where the availability of intelligent systems is still very low.

The 14 Member States which have not yet signed the eCall memorandum are encouraged to do so as soon as possible, preferably before the middle of 2008, in order to encourage the rapid introduction of this potentially life-saving feature. MEPs stress the need for the Commission to further develop the regulatory framework for the full harmonisation of the standard emergency call (112) as well as for the eCall (E112) EU-wide. Furthermore, they recall that the Commission's stated aim is to achieve a 100% take-up of electronic stability control for all new vehicles from 2012 onwards.

The Member States and the Commission are called upon to:

insist on the incorporation of particular technical devices in every car, such as reduced-weight seats or tyres, engine heat accumulators or brake energy regeneration, which offer potential for reducing CO 2 emissions; develop guidelines in order to encourage Member States to introduce incentives for both ecological and vehicle safety features; continue their efforts to devise tax incentives for the purchase of vehicles which are environmentally adapted and are equipped with intelligent safety devices. The incentives introduced must be combined with prevention and road safety training measures for drivers.

In addition, Member States, the Commission and the car industry are called to provide brief, clear and comprehensible information as part of awareness-raising campaigns in order to reach the largest audience possible, including car dealerships and driving schools, and inform them about intelligent vehicle systems.

The resolution urges the car industry to take into account recent car safety features when designing new vehicles and also to provide for devices to measure and display energy consumption and environmental data, such as real CO 2 and particulate emissions.

MEPs note that the use and availability of portable or nomadic ICT-based device systems has increased and that the market for these devices continues to grow steadily. They call on stakeholders to work on implementing measures to ensure the safe use and fixing of such devices, and to facilitate human-machine interaction.

Lastly, the Commission is called upon to develop methodology for measuring the impact of ICTs on CO 2 emissions and/or to coordinate and disseminate existing findings.

The Committee on Transport and Tourism adopted the own initiative report by Zita GURMAI (PES, HU) on t he Commission’s Communication entitled “Towards Europe-wide Safer, Cleaner and Efficient Mobility: The First Intelligent Car Report”.

The parliamentary committee welcomes the Intelligent Car Initiative and believes that intelligent vehicle systems can help to reduce congestion, pollution and the number and seriousness of road accidents, but that their market penetration rate is still too low. It suggests that the Commission pay special attention to countries where the availability of intelligent systems is still very low.

MEPs believe that Member States should promote eSafety initiatives through Joint Technology Initiatives, and that other incentives for private investments in the field of research and development should be envisaged.

The remaining Member States which have not yet signed the eCall memorandum are encouraged to do so as soon as possible, preferably before the middle of 2008, in order to encourage the rapid introduction of this potentially life-saving feature. MEPs stress the need for the Commission to further develop the regulatory framework for the full harmonisation of the standard emergency call (112) as well as for the eCall (E112) EU-wide. They welcome the negotiations on the voluntary agreement on the inclusion of eCall as a standard option in all new vehicles from 2010 onwards.

MEPs call on the Commission and Member States to:

insist on the incorporation of particular technical devices in every car, such as reduced-weight seats or tyres, engine heat accumulators or brake energy regeneration, which offer potential for reducing CO2 emissions; develop guidelines in order to encourage Member States to introduce incentives for both ecological and vehicle safety features; continue their efforts to devise tax incentives for the purchase of vehicles which are environmentally adapted and are equipped with intelligent safety devices.

In addition, Member States, the Commission and the car industry are called to provide brief, clear and comprehensible information as part of awareness-raising campaigns in order to reach the largest audience possible, including car dealerships and driving schools, and inform them about intelligent vehicle systems.

The report urges the car industry to take into account recent car safety features when designing new vehicles and also to provide for devices to measure and display energy consumption and environmental data, such as real CO2 and particulate emissions.

MEPs note that the use and availability of portable or nomadic ICT-based device systems has increased and that the market for these devices continues to grow steadily. They call on stakeholders to work on implementing measures to ensure the safe use and fixing of such devices, and to facilitate human-machine interaction.

Lastly, the Commission is called upon to develop methodology for measuring the impact of ICTs on CO2 emissions and/or to coordinate and disseminate existing findings.

PURPOSE: to present the first “Intelligent Car Report” and to set out a strategy for safer, cleaner and more efficient mobility strategy in the EU.

BACKGROUND: launched in 2006, the “Intelligent Car Initiative” builds on advanced ICT applications in order to make Europe’s roads safer, cleaner and smarter. The Intelligent Car Initiative is a flagship project within i2010, which is the European Commission’s strategic ICT policy framework in the years running up to 2010. The Intelligent Car focuses on twelve actions grouped under three specific pillars: the eSafety Forum, RT&D and Awareness raising actions. These actions seek to accelerate the development and deployment of ICT based Intelligent Vehicle Systems in Europe.

One of the main goals of the eSafety Forums is the full-scale roll-out of eCall (the pan-European in-vehicle emergency call) by 2010. In case of an accident, the eCall system will automatically call the emergency services and provide them with the exact location of the vehicle and other information concerning the accident and vehicle occupants. When fully deployed, eCall could save up to 2 500 lives every year in Europe. The European Parliament has given its full support to eCall, calling on all stakeholders to take the necessary actions to implement eCall. (See INI/2005/2211 ).

Considerable progress has already been achieved in all three areas and the Intelligent Car Initiative is used as a reference point both in Europe and further afield. This Communication report on progress to date proposes new measures and seeks to further support both the Member States and Industry in the prompt implementation of the initiative.

CONTENT: as well as recognising the valuable role of the Intelligent Car Initiative, the Communication sets out three major priorities namely: safer vehicles; cleaner vehicles; and smarter vehicles.

Safer vehicles: Under this priority, the Commission calls on those Member States who have not yet signed the Memorandum of Understanding for eCall, to complete the signature process by the end of 2007. The Member States should carry pilot tests of eCall in the course of 2007-2008 and upgrade their emergency rescue infrastructures by 2010. The European standardisation bodies ETSI and CEN should complete the standards needed for the roll-out of the pan-European eCall by mid-2008. For its part, the Commission will begin negotiations with ACEA, JAMA and KAMA, on the voluntary inclusion of the eCall device as a standard option in all new vehicles as from 2010. As part of the ITS deployment roadmap, the Commission will produce a set of guidelines on incentives for intelligent vehicle systems by mid-2008 and it will launch Field Operational Tests within the FP7 by mid-2008. Cleaner vehicles: Under this priority, the report calls for the ICT clean mobility Working Group, to contribute to the work of the Commission by identifying the potential benefits of the ICT systems in the field of cleaner, more energy-efficient mobility of people and goods in Europe and by proposing a methodology for measuring the impact of ICT in reducing CO2 emissions by 2008. Based on this input, the Commission will address, with the help of stakeholders, the best way forward in rolling-out the most effective ICT low-CO2 technologies for vehicles. Smarter vehicles: Under this priority, the Commission will encourage stakeholders to work together in developing proposals for safe use and fixing nomadic devices and to establish a standardised interface between the in-vehicle systems and the brought-in devices. The European Commission will use this input to come forward with appropriate actions in the 2008 ITS deployment roadmap. In other areas, the Commission will continue to work towards an open, pan-European, standardised and interoperable Communications Architecture for Cooperative Systems in Europe; it will continue to support further R&D projects under the ICT priority on cooperative systems; and it will continue to work with the Radio Spectrum Committee in solving any outstanding harmonisation issues for the allocation of ITS spectrum in the frequency range 5.9 GHz.

The development of the ITS deployment roadmap that integrates vehicles and infrastructures, will be a major EU-led initiative. As such it will feature in the ITS roll-out as announced in the 2006 review of the White Paper on European Transport Policy.

PURPOSE: to present the first “Intelligent Car Report” and to set out a strategy for safer, cleaner and more efficient mobility strategy in the EU.

BACKGROUND: launched in 2006, the “Intelligent Car Initiative” builds on advanced ICT applications in order to make Europe’s roads safer, cleaner and smarter. The Intelligent Car Initiative is a flagship project within i2010, which is the European Commission’s strategic ICT policy framework in the years running up to 2010. The Intelligent Car focuses on twelve actions grouped under three specific pillars: the eSafety Forum, RT&D and Awareness raising actions. These actions seek to accelerate the development and deployment of ICT based Intelligent Vehicle Systems in Europe.

One of the main goals of the eSafety Forums is the full-scale roll-out of eCall (the pan-European in-vehicle emergency call) by 2010. In case of an accident, the eCall system will automatically call the emergency services and provide them with the exact location of the vehicle and other information concerning the accident and vehicle occupants. When fully deployed, eCall could save up to 2 500 lives every year in Europe. The European Parliament has given its full support to eCall, calling on all stakeholders to take the necessary actions to implement eCall. (See INI/2005/2211 ).

Considerable progress has already been achieved in all three areas and the Intelligent Car Initiative is used as a reference point both in Europe and further afield. This Communication report on progress to date proposes new measures and seeks to further support both the Member States and Industry in the prompt implementation of the initiative.

CONTENT: as well as recognising the valuable role of the Intelligent Car Initiative, the Communication sets out three major priorities namely: safer vehicles; cleaner vehicles; and smarter vehicles.

Safer vehicles: Under this priority, the Commission calls on those Member States who have not yet signed the Memorandum of Understanding for eCall, to complete the signature process by the end of 2007. The Member States should carry pilot tests of eCall in the course of 2007-2008 and upgrade their emergency rescue infrastructures by 2010. The European standardisation bodies ETSI and CEN should complete the standards needed for the roll-out of the pan-European eCall by mid-2008. For its part, the Commission will begin negotiations with ACEA, JAMA and KAMA, on the voluntary inclusion of the eCall device as a standard option in all new vehicles as from 2010. As part of the ITS deployment roadmap, the Commission will produce a set of guidelines on incentives for intelligent vehicle systems by mid-2008 and it will launch Field Operational Tests within the FP7 by mid-2008. Cleaner vehicles: Under this priority, the report calls for the ICT clean mobility Working Group, to contribute to the work of the Commission by identifying the potential benefits of the ICT systems in the field of cleaner, more energy-efficient mobility of people and goods in Europe and by proposing a methodology for measuring the impact of ICT in reducing CO2 emissions by 2008. Based on this input, the Commission will address, with the help of stakeholders, the best way forward in rolling-out the most effective ICT low-CO2 technologies for vehicles. Smarter vehicles: Under this priority, the Commission will encourage stakeholders to work together in developing proposals for safe use and fixing nomadic devices and to establish a standardised interface between the in-vehicle systems and the brought-in devices. The European Commission will use this input to come forward with appropriate actions in the 2008 ITS deployment roadmap. In other areas, the Commission will continue to work towards an open, pan-European, standardised and interoperable Communications Architecture for Cooperative Systems in Europe; it will continue to support further R&D projects under the ICT priority on cooperative systems; and it will continue to work with the Radio Spectrum Committee in solving any outstanding harmonisation issues for the allocation of ITS spectrum in the frequency range 5.9 GHz.

The development of the ITS deployment roadmap that integrates vehicles and infrastructures, will be a major EU-led initiative. As such it will feature in the ITS roll-out as announced in the 2006 review of the White Paper on European Transport Policy.