Sustainable transport: rules to boost intelligent transport systems for safer and more efficient transport agreed

The European Commission welcomes the political agreement reached between the European Parliament and the Council on a proposal made by the Commission in 2021 on the revision of the Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) Directive. The revised law will make high-quality and timely data available for services such as multimodal journey planners and navigation services. A smarter and interoperable transport system will allow the more effective management of traffic and mobility across transport modes, enabling users to better combine the most sustainable modes of transport.

The revision of the Intelligent Transport Systems Directive agreed today extends its scope to cover emerging services, such as multimodal information, booking and ticketing services (for example apps to find and book journeys that combine public transport, shared car or bike services), communication between vehicles and infrastructure and automated mobility.

Pursuing the ambition for increased digitalisation of processes, the new rules also set targets for the digitisation of crucial information, such as that on speed limits, roadworks and multimodal access nodes, and the delivery of essential services such as information on road safety. The benefits for transport users will include real-time information and digital, intelligent road infrastructure, as well as more accurate intelligent speed assistance systems.

The revised rules also aim to facilitate the deployment of Cooperative ITS, which allows vehicles and road infrastructure to communicate with one another, for example to warn about unexpected events, such as a traffic jam ahead. To ensure safety is guaranteed on the road, the agreement is making sure there is trust between all C-ITS equipped vehicles and C-ITS road infrastructure across the Union.

Today’s agreement is also a milestone on the way to making connected and automated multimodal mobility a reality, as targeted by the Sustainable and Smart Mobility Strategy.

Next steps

The political agreement reached must now be formally adopted. Once this process is completed by the European Parliament and the Council, the new rules will be published in the Official Journal of the European Union and enter into force 20 days after publication.

Background

Since 2010, the Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) Directive has been the EU's tool to ensure the coordinated deployment of intelligent mobility systems across the EU, based on European specifications and standards.

The European Green Deal is the EU's long-term growth strategy to make the EU climate-neutral by 2050. To reach this target, the EU committed to reduce its emissions by at least 55% by 2030, compared to 1990 levels. Digitalisation is an indispensable driver for the modernisation of the entire transport system, making it seamless and more efficient. Europe also needs to use digitalisation and automation to further increase safety, security, reliability, and comfort, to maintain the EU’s leadership in transport equipment manufacturing and services, and to improve our global competitiveness through efficient and resilient logistics chains.

Quotes by Members of the College

Commissioner for Transport, Adina Vălean, said: “A coherent roll-out of intelligent transport systems is vital to tackling Europe's growing emissions and congestion problems, and can be a catalyst for entirely new services and jobs. I welcome today’s agreement, which allows us to embrace digital technologies and data-sharing. Doing so will make travel in the EU more efficient – and safer – for drivers, passengers and businesses alike.“

For More Information

Efficient and green mobility proposals