EUROPE would like to report on the provisional political agreement reached on Thursday 8 June between the negotiators of the European Parliament and the Swedish Presidency of the Council of the European Union regarding the rapid deployment of Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) (see EUROPE 13197/37).
The aim of this text is to make essential ITS mandatory throughout the EU and to solve the problems related to the lack of interoperability and continuity of existing applications and services (see EUROPE 13195/13). The idea is to take account of technological developments, such as connected and automated mobility, on-demand mobility applications, and multimodal transport. It also involves promoting the development of technologies such as vehicle-to-vehicle communication, real-time traffic data, intelligent traffic light systems and automated traffic controls.
“Today’s deal will boost our Union’s evolution towards a smarter, safer, more efficient, and more sustainable mobility”, said Andreas Carlson, Sweden’s Minister for Infrastructure and Housing, in a press release.
The agreement provides for the systematic and harmonised deployment of intelligent transport systems but in a gradual manner, to take full account of the cost-benefit ratio and of administrative capacity. The agreement retains the structure of the Commission’s proposal, which builds on the ‘framework’ character of the ITS directive and the various technical interventions by way of implementing acts and delegated acts.
“Parliament secured an ambitious geographical scope and timeline for the data and services provided”, said a delighted rapporteur, Rovana Plumb (S&D, Romanian), in a press release. The negotiators also set deadlines for making the new information available in a digital format. This programme will cover at least the next 5 years.
The scope of application has been extended to include access conditions for tunnels and bridges, speed limits, traffic circulation plans, permanent access restrictions, road closures, roadworks, temporary traffic management measures, as well as critical services, such as road safety-related traffic information services.
The text of the political agreement clarifies and specifies several provisions of the proposal, in particular the provisional treatment of emergency situations, the protection of personal data, the priority areas for the deployment and use of specifications and standards, and the principles applicable to the development of technical specifications at EU level.
“This will help reduce traffic congestion and shorten travel time, while improving safety on our roads”, commented MEP Jens Gieseke (EPP, German), who was contacted by EUROPE.
The agreement must now be approved by the European Parliament and the EU Council before coming into force. (Original version in French by Anne Damiani)