Intelligent Road Transport Systems
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:
Integrationwith 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.
Accessibility 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 should 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 should 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.