Transport applications of the Global Navigation Satellite Systems - short and medium term EU policy

The Committee on Transport and Tourism adopted the own-initiative report drafted by Silvia-AdrianaŢICĂU (S&D, RO) in response to the Commission communication on an Action Plan on Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) Applications.

It welcomes the Commission communication and the series of specific sectoral, regulatory and horizontal actions proposed therein. It agrees with the Commission that a targeted action plan is, at this point, the best option for giving a further impetus to the development and application of EGNOS and Galileo, particularly in the transport field. The committee stresses that satellite navigation systems should ensure interoperability between different systems (including conventional systems) and should also allow intermodal use in both passenger and freight transport services.

Regretting that all of the European Union is not at this time covered by EGNOS, Members call for EGNOS system coverage to be extended to southern, eastern and south-eastern Europe as a matter of priority, so as to enable the system to be used throughout Europe in every transport sector, and stress the importance of ensuring that its coverage extends to both the MEDA countries and the Middle East and Africa.

Of the 15 sectoral actions included in the Action Plan, 9 have an immediate and important transport application. The Commission is called upon to:

• ensure swift certification of EGNOS for civil aviation through the competent authorities;
• bring forward the necessary regulatory proposals to deliver GNSS added value for safety in all forms of transport, particularly on the roads, and to help improve freight transport efficiency;
• intensify industrial cooperation with non-EU countries with a view to promoting the development and interoperability of EGNOS and Galileo applications and services;
• make a careful appraisal of the need to amend existing legislation on digital tachographs in order to ensure that the opportunities for positioning and speed information offered by GNSS are used appropriately;
• take steps to increase awareness and improve knowledge of possible GNSS applications in the maritime and inland waterway sectors;
• efficiently implement the strong awareness-raising measures set out in the Action Plan, in order to secure the extensive use of EGNOS in Europe;
• examine what data protection concerns might arise with the use of EGNOS applications and services and to do all it can to dispel these.

The report insists that the Commission should propose, in the context of the budgetary procedure and the future multiannual financial framework (MFF), steps to ensure adequate levels of funding for GNSS research and development, as well as for implementation. It renews its call, regarding both this specific project and similar projects, such as the TEN-Ts, for the Commission to submit a multiannual financing proposal going beyond the period of the MFF, in order to provide a stable and reliable financial framework for more ambitious European projects whose scope exceeds the present bounds.

The committee also calls on the Commission to come forward with a comprehensive funding strategy which in addition to adequate EU and Member State contributions, could include, inter alia, coordinated tax incentives, simplified grant application procedures, and arrangements that could channel venture capital to SMEs and facilitate the development and marketing of EGNOS and Galileo applications, in cooperation with the European Investment Bank and the European Investment Fund.

Lastly, the report regrets that the shortage of funds allocated to research and innovation for applications based on EGNOS or Galileo is considerably delaying technological progress and the growth of industrial capacity, as well as environmentally effective implementation, in the European Union. It therefore urges the Commission to introduce arrangements enabling small and medium-sized enterprises to gain access to funding more readily.