General EU Policy

The EU has set forth a clear vision for ITS, utilising specific policies and key objectives aimed at progressing important IT initiatives and maintaining a coordinated European effort. The array of ITS applications has encouraged the EU to include ITS programmes and tools in the scope of its Common Transport Policy as well as providing recommendations – such as those in the EC's White Paper on Transport Policy released in 2000.

As a response to the EC's midterm review of the White Paper in 2006, ERTICO issued its own position paper. In it, ERTICO notes that it supports the EC’s policy objectives of maintaining mobility while ensuring sustainability, to put transport policy at the heart of the Lisbon agenda. It also strongly supports the EC’s observation that the transport sector must innovate to achieve these objectives. The Mid-Term Review of the Transport White Paper places ITS innovation and deployment at the very heart of Europe’s transport needs. Nevertheless, ERTICO recognises that in addition to the technologies and applications, the necessary European Framework conditions should be established to allow the full market deployment of ITS. In addition, public investments may be necessary to converge in-vehicle and intelligent infrastructure systems.

Download a copy of the ERTICO position paper on the White Paper on Transport Policy:

06-12-06 ERTICO Position Paper (83 KB).

The European Commission has also played a crucial role in the success of the eSafety initiative, which it has supported and promoted from its inauguration. Resulting from the White Paper's target of a 50% reduction in road fatalities by 2010, the eSafety Initiative is taking an integrated approach to improving road safety with the goal of accelerating the introduction of ITS, namely active and passive safety technologies, to address every phase of an accident.

The eSafety Support project funded by the European Commission stimulates and monitors the activities, progress and results generated by the eSafety initiative. The project offers support to the eSafety Forum and its Working Groups and disseminates results to all stakeholders. Its website, www.eSafetySupport.org represents an easily accessible and up-to-date resource for information on the latest eSafety topics.

In addition to its efforts regarding safety, since the 1990's, the EU has been working on establishing major trans-European networks that interconnect Member State telematics and telecommunications infrastructure. A series of research and development programmes funded through the European Commission's 4th, 5th, 6th Framework Programmes in RTD have been intended to alleviate problems facing transport infrastructure networks and put research into action. The EC's 7th Framework Programme runs from 2007-2013, with a budget of over €50 billion.