The European Parliament adopted by 585 votes to 6, with 26 abstentions, a legislative resolution on the proposal for a directive of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Directive 2010/40/EU on the framework for the deployment of Intelligent Transport Systems in the field of road transport and for interfaces with other modes of transport.

The European Parliament's position adopted at first reading under the ordinary legislative procedure amends the Commission proposal as follows:

Subject matter and scope

The 2010 directive on intelligent transport systems (ITS directive), as amended, aims to take account of technological advances such as connected and automated mobility, on-demand mobility applications and multimodal transport services. It also aims to accelerate the availability and enhance the interoperability of digital data that feed these services. It preserves the ambition to move forward in the systematic and harmonised deployment of intelligent transport systems but in a gradual manner to take full account of the cost-benefit relation and of administrative capacity.

This Directive provides for the availability of data and the deployment of ITS services within the priority areas , with, for data, the specific geographical coverage set out in Annex III and, for ITS services, the specific geographical coverage set out in Annex I.

For the purposes of this Directive, the following will constitute priority areas for the development and use of specifications and standards:

- Priority area I: Information and mobility ITS services;

- Priority area II: Travel, transport and traffic management ITS services;

- Priority area III: Road safety and security ITS services;

- Priority area IV: ITS services for cooperative, connected and automated mobility.

The necessary types of data , including access conditions for tunnels and bridges, speed limits, traffic circulation plans, permanent access restrictions, road closures, roadworks, temporary traffic management measures, as well as the critical services, such as road safety-related traffic information services, to be made available across the Union, are set out in the annexes to the directive.

Working programme

By 12 months after the date of entry into force of this Directive, the Commission will, after consulting the European ITS Advisory Group and relevant stakeholders, adopt an implementing act , establishing a working programme. The working programme will include at least the following elements:

- objectives and dates for its implementation every year, indicating for which work items specifications are to be developed;

- the data types which the Commission is considering adding to, or removing from, Annex III by the delegated acts;

- preparatory work to be carried out by the Commission in cooperation with stakeholders and Member States.

Before each subsequent five-year extension of the power to adopt delegated acts, the Commission will adopt implementing acts establishing a new working programme.

Interim measures

The Commission may, at the request of a Member State or on its own initiative, in an emergency situation, adopt immediately applicable implementing acts laying down countermeasures to address the causes and consequences of that situation, such as the suspension of obligations within the scope of the priority areas.

Standards

The amended text stipulated that the necessary standards to provide for interoperability, compatibility and continuity for the deployment and operational use of ITS will be developed in the priority areas and for the priority actions. To that effect, the Commission, after consulting the ITS Committee, will request the relevant standardisation bodies to make every necessary effort to adopt these standards rapidly.

Data protection

Data that constitute personal data within the meaning of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) will be processed under this Directive only insofar as processing is necessary for the performance of the ITS applications, services and actions listed in Annex I to the Directive, in order to ensure road safety or security and to improve traffic, mobility or incident management.

Review

Member States will submit to the Commission by 15 months after the date of entry into force of this Directive, a report on the implementation of this Directive and of the delegated acts adopted on the basis thereof, as well as on their main national activities and projects regarding the priority areas and regarding the availability of data and services listed in Annexes III (List of data types) and IV (List of ITS services).

By 31 December 2028, the Commission will review certain measures and Annexes III and IV, and may, where appropriate, submit a proposal for amendment. In particular, the Commission may, on the basis of the progress made with regard to the availability and the accessibility of data and in the deployment of services, and taking into account their increased use through ITS applications, propose to adapt the geographical coverage of certain data types and services and add data types and services considered crucial for the further deployment of ITS.

The Committee on Transport and Tourism adopted the report by Rovana PLUMB (S&D, RO) on the proposal for a directive of the European Parliament and of the Council Amending Directive 2010/40/EU on the framework for the deployment of Intelligent Transport Systems in the field of road transport and for interfaces with other modes of transport.

As a reminder, the Commission proposes to update the 2010 directive on intelligent transport systems (ITS directive), to adapt it to the emergence of new road mobility options, mobility applications and connected and automated mobility.

The committee responsible recommended that the European Parliament's position adopted at first reading under the ordinary legislative procedure should amend the proposal as follows:

Integration with other transport modes

This Directive should ensure that ITS applications in the field of road transport enable seamless integration with other modes of transport, such as rail or active mobility, thus facilitating a shift to those modes wherever possible, to improve efficiency and accessibility.

Priority actions

The adoption of specifications for Cooperative Intelligent Transport Services (C-ITS) should be one of the priority actions for the development and use of specifications and standards such as those in Annex I. The report states that ITS-C are intelligent transport systems that allow ITS users to interact and cooperate by exchanging, in a non-discriminatory manner and without any prior knowledge of each other, secure and trusted messages between vehicles and other elements of the transport ecosystem, including vehicles, infrastructure and vulnerable road users, via communication technologies.

Technological neutrality

To ensure the compatibility and interoperability of ITS systems, Members consider it necessary to ensure that, in particular for C-ITS, ITS requirements neither impose nor discriminate in favour of the use of a particular type of technology, in line with the principle of technological neutrality. Therefore, the ITS regulatory framework should provide certainty to the market by including the principle of technology neutrality in Annex II (Principles for the specification and deployment of ITS).

Needs of suburban, rural and peripheral areas

According to Members, the development of ITS should cover the needs of suburban, rural and peripheral areas, as well as islands and outermost regions, ensuring their social and economic inclusion.

Processing of personal data

When requiring the processing of personal data, the specifications to be developed under this Directive should comply with the requirements of Regulation (EU) 2016/679 (GDPR). Anonymisation as a technique to enhance the privacy of individuals should be used as soon as the purpose of the processing can also be achieved without reference to a person, and anonymisation is technically possible.

A ccessibility of the data

This means a possibility to request and obtain data in a digital accessible machine-readable format via National Access Points and where appropriate regional and local ones.

National access points (NAP)

The NAPs will organise access to and re-use of transport data for the provision of interoperable EU-wide travel and traffic information services to end-users. Members believe that such transport data should be available in a machine-readable format. They also stress that data on the location and availability of alternative fuel infrastructure should be accessible through the NAPs.

Common European access points

By 31 December 2026, the Commission sh ould establish a common European access point for the access to and reuse of transport related data to help support the provision of EU-wide interoperable travel and traffic ITS services to end users. This common European access point sh ould connect all National Access Points and offer access to all data covered by Directive 2010/40/EU. The common European access point should be made available to the public and is easily accessible by way of providing open data, at no cost, and through open and standardised interfaces.

National access points should allow for an automated and uniform data exchange with the common European access and without prejudice to all relevant Union law .

ITS applications and freight transport logistics

The requirements necessary to support the realisation of ITS applications in the field of freight transport logistics should be defined, inter alia, on the basis of the availability of freight transport data accessible through other specific data sharing frameworks supporting the interoperability of electronic solutions for international road freight transport (eCMR).

The European Commission and the Member States should work with Mobile Network Operators and other stakeholders to find a solution for the functioning of eCall systems in vehicles coming on the market before the Next Generation eCall standard has been approved and inserted in the EU type approval regulation.

Impact on SMEs and stakeholder consultation

Delegated acts adopted by the Commission to amend the list of data types in Annex III should be adopted following a cost-benefit analysis, an impact assessment with a particular focus on the impact on SMEs, and a consultation of stakeholders, including representatives of all road users and other relevant groups on an equal footing.

The Commission should adopt guidelines and other non-binding measures to facilitate Member States' cooperation in the priority areas.

PURPOSE: to amend Directive 2010/40/EU on the framework for the deployment of Intelligent Transport Systems in the field of road transport and for interfaces with other modes of transport.

PROPOSED ACT: Directive 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: Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) apply information and communication technologies that make mobility safer, more efficient and more sustainable.

Several actions in the scope of Directive 2010/40/EU contribute to the safety of road users, such as eCall, road safety-related traffic information services and safe and secure parking areas. However, in order to be more effective, the 2010 ITS Directive should be adapted to the emergence of new road mobility options, mobility apps and connected and automated mobility.

CONTENT: the proposed Directive seeks to amend Directive 2010/40/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council on the framework for the deployment of Intelligent Transport Systems in the field of road transport and for interfaces with other modes of transport. It aims to: (i) ensure the coordinated and coherent deployment of interoperable Intelligent Transport Systems throughout the EU; (ii) update the Directive in line with new priorities on better multimodal and digital services.

More specifically, the proposal:

- extends scope of the Directive to better encompass emerging services, such as multimodal information, booking and ticketing services (such as apps to find and book journeys that combine public transport, shared car or bike services), communication between vehicles and infrastructure (to increase safety) and automated mobility. It also mandates the collection of crucial data and the provision of essential services such as real time information services informing the driver about accidents or obstacles on the road;

- provides for a new article authorising the Commission to adopt interim measures in the event of an emergency situation that has a severe direct impact on road safety, cyber security or the availability and integrity of ITS services;

- updates rules on data protection and privacy , streamlining the text by removing duplications of existing obligations under data protection rules, e.g. on the security of personal data processed and the need for controllers to comply with their other obligations under data protection rules;

- provides for a new article on the EU Cooperative ITS (C-ITS) security credential management system to ensure the continuous compliance with certain requirements and interoperability ensuring the safety and proper functioning of the system;

- updates rules on the reporting of Member States (common template, common key performance indicators) and of the Commission, as well as updated rules for the adoption of the working programmes of the ITS Directive;

- lists the data types for which availability and accessibility on national access points needs to be ensured by the date indicated for each data type and on the geographical coverage indicated for each data type.