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.

The Committee on Transport and Tourism adopted an own-initiative report by István UJHELYI (S&D, HU) on a European strategy on cooperative intelligent transport systems.

The report noted that new technologies, which include the Cooperative Intelligent Transport System (C-ITS), represent both dramatic progress and a real task for European decision-makers. It noted that the European institutions are lagging behind in this field and cannot keep up with the speed at which the technological revolution is advancing.

Members called for the introduction of interoperable Cooperative Intelligent Transport Systems (C-ITS) services throughout Europe without delay. They highlighted the need for a clear legal framework to support the deployment of C-ITS.

The report noted 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.

Members 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 report called on the Commission 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;

facilitate the exchange of best practices aimed inter alia at achieving economic efficiency;

Members also stated that C-ITS services should be integrated into the Space Strategy for Europe since the deployment of C-ITS is to be based on geolocation technologies such as satellite positioning.

Privacy and data protection : Members drew attention to the importance of applying the EU legislation on privacy and data protection with regard to C-ITS and connected ecosystem data, for which reason these data should, as a matter of priority, be used for C-ITS purposes only and not be retained or used for other ends. Smart vehicles should comply fully with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and related rules.

Cybersecurity : the report pointed to the importance of the application of high standards of cybersecurity in preventing hacking and cyber-attacks in all Member States, particularly in the light of the critical nature of security of C-ITS communications.

Common European approach : the report encourages the Member States and local authorities, vehicle manufacturers, road operators and the ITS industry to implement C-ITS by 2019 , and recommended that the Commission, local authorities and Member States designate 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 by means of a cross-cutting thematic approach.

It called on the Commission and the Member States to continue to provide 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.

Members are of the opinion that if no significant progress is made by 2022, legislative action may be required to introduce ‘minimum rules’ and enforce integration in this respect.

The EU and the Member States are encouraged to properly enforce the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) and the forthcoming directive on accessibility requirements for products and services, in order to achieve barrier-free accessibility to C-ITS for all citizens.

Members recommended that the Commission rapidly establish 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 and to publish a legislative proposal on access to in-vehicle data and resources by the end of the year. This proposal should enable the entire automotive value chain and end users to benefit from digitalisation and guarantee a level playing field and maximum security with regard to storage of in-vehicle data and access thereto for all third-parties, which should be fair, timely and unrestricted in order to protect consumer rights, promote innovation and ensure fair, non-discriminatory competition on this market in line with the principle of technological neutrality.

Lastly, the report 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.

PURPOSE: to adopt a European strategy on Cooperative Intelligent Transport Systems (C-ITS), a milestone towards cooperative, connected and automated mobility.

BACKGROUND: in the very near future, vehicles will interact directly with each other and with the road infrastructure. This interaction is the domain of Cooperative Intelligent Transport Systems (C-ITS).

Communication between vehicles, infrastructure and with other road users is crucial also to increase the safety of automated vehicles. Digital technologies help reduce human error , by far the greatest source of accidents in transport. It is expected to significantly improve road safety, traffic efficiency and comfort of driving, by helping the driver to take the right decisions and adapt to the traffic situation.

They can also create a truly multimodal transport system integrating all modes of transport into one mobility service, allowing people and cargo to travel smoothly from door to door. And they can spur social innovation through new forms of value creation such as the collaborative economy.

The steady trend in improving road safety that the EU has seen over the last decade has slowed down. The coordinated and rapid deployment of cooperative, connected and automated vehicles in road transport urgently requires EU action.

The market potential of cooperative, connected and automated driving is estimated to be worth dozens of billions of euro annually and to lead to the creation of many new jobs. The strategy therefore delivers on the Commission's political priorities, notably its Agenda for Jobs, Growth and Investment, the Digital Single Market and the Energy Union .

In the Declaration of Amsterdam in April 2016 , European transport ministers urged the European Commission to develop a European strategy on cooperative, connected and automated vehicles.

CONTENT: the objective of the European strategy on Cooperative Intelligent Transport Systems is to allow for a wide-scale commercial deployment of C-ITS as of 2019 in order to avoid a fragmented internal market in the field of C-ITS and create synergies between different initiatives. It addresses the most critical issues, including cyber-security and data protection and interoperability and recommends action at different levels to meet the 2019 target date:

(1) Definition of common priorities : this Communication sets priorities for a coordinated deployment of CITS services by Member States and industry. The Commission considers that a list of technologically-mature and highly-beneficial C-ITS services should be deployed quickly so that end-users and society at large can benefit from them as soon as possible. This early deployment list is defined below as the Day 1 C-ITS services list (hazardous location notifications and signage applications). The Commission will support Member States and industry in deploying Day 1 C-ITS services, notably through the Connecting Europe Facility, European Structural and Investment Funds and the European Fund for Strategic Investments.

In a second phase, the Day 1.5 C-ITS services list would be deployed.

(2) Security communications : as the transport system becomes more and more digitised, it may also become more vulnerable to hacking and cyber-attacks. The Commission seeks to develop a common security and certificate policy for deployment and operation of C-ITS in Europe. It will publish guidance regarding the European CITS security and certificate policy in 2017.

(3) Data protection : data broadcast by C-ITS from vehicles will, in principle, qualify as personal data as it will relate to an identified or identifiable natural person. The implementation of C-ITS therefore requires compliance with the applicable data protection legal framework.

C-ITS service providers should offer transparent terms and conditions to end-users, using clear and plain language in an intelligible way and in easily accessible forms, enabling them to give their consent for the processing of their personal data.

(4) Communication technologies and frequencies : drivers expect to receive all information on traffic and safety conditions seamlessly across Europe. The Commission considered that this can only be achieved through a hybrid communication approach combining complementary and available communication technologies.

To support all C-ITS services on the vehicle side, the full hybrid communication mix needs to be on-board. Currently, the most promising hybrid communication mix is a combination of WiFi based short range communication and existing cellular networks.

(5) Interoperability at all levels : C-ITS deployment initiatives within the EU should define and publish the technical C-ITS communication profiles needed to ensure the interoperability of Day 1 C-ITS services. They should also develop test procedures to check the interoperability of these profiles. The Commission will make full use of the C-Roads platform as the coordination mechanism for C-ITS deployment at operational level.

(6) Develop the right legal framework : rapid technological developments and the complexity of the issues at stake mean the right legal framework is needed. The Commission believes this framework needs to be developed through learning by experience, using feedback from and interaction between the C-ITS deployment initiatives and the C-ITS Platform.

As a result of this process, and in close cooperation with all stakeholders, the Commission will consider using the ITS Directive 2010/40/EU . Other legal instruments might also be considered, e.g. for compliance assessment processes.

(7) International cooperation : the EU has already benefitted from cooperation with Australia, Japan, Singapore and the US in areas such as research, security and harmonisation of standards.

The Commission will continue promoting the convergence and coordination of C-ITS development and deployment activities in cooperation with international partners and initiatives.

In conclusion, the Commission calls upon all parties concerned, and in particular Member States and industry, to support the approach presented in this Communication, and collaborate at all levels and across sectors to start deploying cooperative intelligent transport systems successfully in 2019.