2nd public workshop impact assessment for the revision of the Intelligent Transport Systems Directive

On 3 March 2021 (14:00-17:00 CET) the European Commission organised a workshop (videoconference) on the ongoing impact assessment for the revision of the Intelligent Transport Systems Directive (2010/40/EU). The workshop was well attended with over 300 registered participants representing a large variety of public and private stakeholders from across the EU and beyond.

At the beginning of the workshop, progress on the study supporting the Impact Assessment of the revision of the ITS Directive was introduced, and the objectives of the workshop were outlined. During the workshop, specific aspects of the study were presented, in particular the draft results of the open public consultation, the status of important related initiatives and the draft policy options to be considered in the impact assessment.

In response to the analysis of OPC results, stakeholders raised questions relating to the following:

• It was suggested that improving the quality and content of the data that is available at present may improve things more than the EU obliging for more. According to many stakeholders, as the policy goals of the ITS Directive haven’t been fully reached with the current policy, a revision and update of the Directive makes sense. It is thought that the EU can guide and accelerate development, while simultaneously taking local needs into account.
• It was confirmed that the Common European mobility data space is a separate initiative. The Commission will work with stakeholders regarding how the Common European mobility data space is set up and how it interacts with other Common European data spaces.
• Feedback provided pointed to the lack of trust between different service providers as an issue. Even though there are interoperable systems, if there is a lack of trust, it may lead to ITS services not working optimally. Limited will for cooperation prevents the deployment of a seamless door-to-door mobility. It was suggested however that at a local level, Public Transport Authorities have the right structures in place for coordination already, so it is not considered that there are not sufficient means to work on.

Specific attention was paid to the relevance of the ITS Directive, and particular the question whether the objectives of the revision could be better accomplished through either non-legislative tools based on guidance or recommendations by the Commission; increased funding opportunities from EU programmes; and increased coordination and harmonisation with other (non-EU) areas of the world, as the responses to the OPC were sometimes contradicting and inconclusive in this regard.

The poll held during the workshop revealed that the majority of respondents agreed that the objectives of the revision could be better accomplished by the Directive, rather than through the alternatives (no-legislative tools based on guidance and recommendations and increased coordination and harmonisation with other areas of the world). Responses for increased funding opportunities were divided, which aligns with the way in which stakeholders consider issues should be addressed at the EU level (and supported via written responses to the OPC). Some stakeholders did not answer, revealing that it can be more complicated than ‘yes’ or ‘no’, as it depends on the specific field being addressed, and this would need to be considered in detail in order to determine if the alternatives are more likely to achieve the objectives.

In the discussion on the draft policy options that have been developed and are being considered in the Impact Assessment, the following main issues were raised and discussed:

• With regard to data reciprocity, several stakeholders remarked that sharing obligations tend to focus on data from the public sector. It was questioned whether there will be similar obligations for data sharing from the private sector. Examples of reciprocity were provided, e.g. in the exchange of safety related traffic information and for digital ticketing. There is a need to consider the value of reciprocity exchange of data in each different context.
• With regard to the mandatory provision of certain data and services, it was clarified that any mandatory data collection proposed by policy options would be targeted and related to specific services.
• With regard to C-ITS, it was clarified that the revision of the Directive focuses on the set-up and coordination of the EU C-ITS trust system. Specifications for interoperability of C-ITS systems and services remain a priority, but would be addressed through a separate follow-up initiative.

A next workshop is tentatively planned for May 2021 to discuss the draft results of the impact assessment support study.