Features
3 Apr 19

"EU should take global lead in connected and automated driving"

As Europe prepares to elect a new European Parliament and appoint new Commissioners in June, the European Automotive and Telecoms Alliance (EATA) urges policy makers to step up efforts and ensure that the EU takes the global lead in connected and automated mobility.

As global players launch new products and services in the automotive and transport sectors, EATA calls for a new, digitally-driven mobility ecosystem to be created in the EU.

EATA has just launched a manifesto to accelerate the deployment of connected and automated mobility (CAM) in Europe. In the document, four enabling principles are central:

  1. Enable a clear framework aimed at fostering investment and innovation
  2. Avoid fragmentation through coordination of policy initiatives
  3. Recognise that technology neutrality is critical to the development of connected and automated mobility
  4. Accelerate cooperation on the global stage

“It will also be of particular importance to ensure that Europe develops a globally-competitive digital infrastructure, which is a key enabler of CAM,” said a spokesperson for EATA.

“The regulatory environment today is very different from the past, when policies were seen in a more isolated way. That is, automotive from a technical, product regulation point of view and telecoms from a service point of view,” explained Erik Jonnaert, EATA Chairman and Secretary General of the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA). “We are calling upon the next European Commission and Parliament to put in place a coordinated and consistent legal framework to remove remaining legal and regulatory barriers to CAM.”

EATA is a European platform that brings together key players from the automotive and telecommunications sectors, comprising 32 companies as members and six founding associations. Its aim is to promote a horizontal, cross-industry understanding of the policy and regulatory enablers for CAM.

Image: European Parliament, Brussels

Authored by: Benjamin Uyttebroeck