Lyon, 17/09/2002 (Agence Europe) - At a congress organised by ErticoIts Europe, in Lyon on Monday, Erkki Liikanen, European commissioner responsible for companies and the information society, ad Mr. Folz, CEO of Peugeot and president European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA), presented progress made by the joint industry-European Commission working group on the eSafety action plan relating to intelligent systems of transport and integrated safety. Mr. Hansen, Danish Transport minister was also present for the Council Presidency.
Mr. Liikanen declared that "thanks to large investments into research made in the field of intelligent transport systems over these past 10 years, new technologies are available and allow one to hope, while already de facto contributing, for a great reduction in the number of accidents and victims. The time has come take the industrial and socio-economic advantages offered by these new intelligent integrated safety systems. I hope that European industry will position itself in this field as world leader, while contributing to the reduction of the number of road accidents". The Commissioner invited industry to join the Commission in establishing an eSafety forum of a permanent nature. This forum would have as goal to speed-up the development and deployment of intelligent integrated safety systems by ensuring the follow-up to the implementation of the European action plan, by raising user awareness and promoting the development of open platforms, open and standard software, communications, services and man-machine interfaces.