Intelligent Road Transport Systems

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.