COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS A European strategy on Cooperative Intelligent Transport Systems, a milestone towards cooperative, connected and automated mobility
Date: 2016-11-30
Institutions: Directorate-General for Mobility and Transport, European Commission
Subjects: common transport policy, data protection, digital technology, information technology, innovation, intelligent transport system, road safety, road transport, transport infrastructure, vehicle

EN 

   EN 

   EUROPEAN COMMISSION  Brussels, 30.11.2016  COM(2016) 766 final   COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS A European strategy on Cooperative Intelligent Transport Systems, a milestone towards cooperative, connected and automated mobility  
 
 
1.  INTRODUCTION 

Profound change lies ahead for the transport sector; both in Europe and in other parts of the 
world.  A  wave  of  technological  innovation  and  disruptive  business  models  has  led  to  a 
growing demand for new mobility services. At the same time, the sector is responding to the 
pressing  need  to  make  transport  safer,  more  efficient  and  sustainable.  The  resulting 
transformation creates huge social and economic opportunities that Europe must seize now, to 
reap the benefits for its citizens and businesses. 

Digital  technologies  are  one,  if  not  the  strongest,  driver  and  enabler  of  this  process. 
Exchanging data between different actors in the transport system means supply and demand 
can be matched in real time, leading to a more efficient use of resources, be it a shared car, a 
container or a rail network. Digital technologies help reduce human error, by far the greatest 
source  of  accidents  in  transport.  They  can  also  create  a  truly  multimodal  transport  system 
integrating  all  modes  of  transport  into  one  mobility  service,  allowing  people  and  cargo  to 
travel smoothly from door to door. And they can spur social innovation and ensure mobility 
for  all,  with  the  emergence  of  new  players  and  new  forms  of  value  creation  such  as  the 
collaborative economy. 

The  potential  of  digital  technologies  and  related  business  models  in  road  transport  is 
significant, and so is the need to act. The steady and positive trend in road safety that the EU 
has seen over the last decade has slowed down. Road transport is still responsible for the bulk 
of  transport  emissions,  in  terms  of  greenhouse  gases  and  air  pollutants1,2.  Every  day, 
congested roads are a huge cost to the EU economy3. With the jobs of millions of Europeans 
depending directly or indirectly on the automotive and transport industry, it is critical that the 
sector be provided with the conditions to stay in the lead globally. 

This Communication is thus closely linked to the Commission's political priorities, notably its 
Agenda  for  Jobs,  Growth  and  Investment,  the  Digital  Single  Market  and  the  Energy  Union 
Strategy4.  The  European  Strategy  for  Low-Emission  Mobility2  adopted  in  July  2016, 
highlights  the  potential  of  cooperative,  connected  and  automated  vehicles  to  reduce  energy 
consumption  and  emissions  from  transport.  The  Digitising  European  Industry  Strategy5 
identifies cooperative, connected and automated vehicles as a priority topic for boosting the 
competitiveness  of  European  industry.  Studies  have  estimated  the  market  potential  of 
cooperative, connected and automated driving to be worth dozens of billions of euro annually 
and the creation of jobs could run into the hundreds of thousands6. 

In  many respects  today's  vehicles are already connected devices.  However, in  the very near 
future  they  will  also  interact  directly  with  each  other  and  with  the  road  infrastructure.  This 
interaction  is  the  domain  of  Cooperative  Intelligent  Transport  Systems  (C-ITS),  which  will 
allow road users and traffic  managers to share and use information  previously not available 

1 Over 70% of transport greenhouse gas emissions, 39% of NOx and 13% of particulate matter 
2 A European Strategy for Low-Emission Mobility, COM(2016) 501 final 
3 Overall congestion costs are currently estimated at 1% of GDP (EC JRC, 2012) 
4 A Framework Strategy for a Resilient Energy Union with a Forward-Looking Climate Change Policy - 
COM(2015) 80 final, ANNEX 1 
5 Digitising European Industry - COM(2016) 180, SWD(2016) 110 
6 Roland Berger, autonomous driving, Think:Act, December 2014 

AT Kearney, Roadmap towards Autonomous Driving, September 2015 
KPMG, Connected and autonomous vehicles - the UK economic opportunity, March 2015 
Strategy&, Connected car report 2016: Opportunities, risk, and turmoil on the road to autonomous vehicles, 
September 2016. 

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and to coordinate their actions. This cooperative element7 – enabled by digital connectivity – 
is expected to significantly improve road safety, traffic efficiency and comfort of driving, by 
helping the driver to take the right decisions and adapt to the traffic situation. 

Communication  between vehicles, infrastructure and with  other  road users is  crucial also to 
increase the safety  of automated vehicles and their  full  integration into the overall transport 
system. Cooperation, connectivity, and automation are not only complementary technologies, 
they  reinforce  each  other  and  will  over  time  merge  completely.  Truck  platooning  (trucks 
communicating to automatically and safely follow each other at very short distance) is a good 
example: connectivity, cooperation and automation must all come together to make it work. 
But  even  more  so  will  cooperation  be  needed  when  future  automated  vehicles  have  to 
negotiate much more complex traffic situations safely and efficiently. 

Countries around the world (e.g. US, Australia, Japan, Korea and China) are moving rapidly 
towards deploying digital technologies, and in some countries vehicles and C-ITS services are 
already available on the market. G7 transport ministers8 have repeatedly underlined the need 
for  action.  Several  Member  States  have  started  C-ITS  deployment  activities  under  real  life 
conditions through strategic alliances such as the EU cooperative corridor9 linking Rotterdam 
to  Frankfurt  and  Vienna,  or  the  Amsterdam  Group10.  The  Space  Strategy  for  Europe11 
underlines  the  need  to  encourage  integrating  space  technologies  into  strategies  addressing 
connected cars, whilst benefiting in particular from the use of GALILEO and EGNOS. 

In  the  Declaration  of  Amsterdam12  in  April  2016,  European  transport  ministers  urged  the 
European  Commission  to  develop  a  European  strategy  on  cooperative,  connected  and 
automated  vehicles.  Equally  importantly,  industry  stated  its  intention  to  start  full  scale 
deployment  of  C-ITS  enabled  vehicles  in  2019.13  But  for  this  to  happen,  coordination  is 
urgently needed at European level. 

With  technology  rapidly  evolving  and  the  public  and  private  sector  investing  substantial 
amounts  into  developing  and  testing  C-ITS  technologies,  there  is  a  risk  that,  without  a 
framework  at  European  level,  EU-wide  interoperability  will  not  be  achieved  on  time.  This 
would put European industry at a disadvantage to its competitors and delay the deployment of 
C-ITS in Europe, and with it the multiple benefits for transport and society at large. 

This  Communication  presents  an  EU  strategy  for  the  coordinated  deployment  of  C-ITS  in 
order to avoid a fragmented internal market in the field of C-ITS and create synergies between 
different  initiatives.  It  addresses  the  most  critical  issues,  including  cyber-security  and  data 
protection  (both  particularly  important  for  public  acceptance)  and  interoperability  and 
recommends  action  at  different  levels  to  meet  the  2019  target  date.  This  Communication 

7 Cooperation means that vehicles warn each other of potentially dangerous situations (e.g. emergency braking or 
end  of  traffic  jam  queue)  and  communicate  with  local  road  infrastructure  (e.g.  traffic  lights  for  optimal  speed 
advice). Also, two-way communication between vehicles and traffic control centres allows detecting problems 
faster (e.g. traffic jams or black ice) and mitigating their effects by giving road users better advice faster. 
8 G7 meeting in Germany, September 2015: G7 Declaration on automated and connected driving 

G7 meeting in Japan, September 2016: G7 Declaration on Development and Widespread Utilization of  
Advanced Technology for Vehicles and Roads 

9 Cooperative ITS Corridor Rotterdam – Frankfurt/M. – Vienna  
10  Amsterdam  Group:  an  alliance  between  road  authorities  (European  Association  of  Operators  of  Toll  Road 
Infrastructures, Conference of European Directors of Roads), cities active in POLIS (Network of European cities 
and regions) and the vehicle industry organised in the Car2Car Communication Consortium 
11 Space Strategy for Europe, COM(2016)705 
12 Declaration of Amsterdam on cooperation in the field of connected and automated driving, 14 April 2016 
13 Car2Car Communication Consortium Press Releases, October 2015 

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thereby constitutes an important  milestone of an EU strategy on cooperative, connected and 
automated vehicles. 

2.  EUROPEAN  ACTIVITIES  TO  ENABLE  DEPLOYMENT  OF  COOPERATIVE,  CONNECTED  AND 

AUTOMATED MOBILITY 

This  Communication  is  the  result  of  intensive  work  with  experts  from  both  the  public  and 
private  sectors.  Since  November  2014,  the  Commission  has  hosted  the  C-ITS  platform14  to 
identify remaining barriers and propose solutions for C-ITS deployment in Europe. The first 
phase  of  the  C-ITS  platform  resulted  in  an  expert  report15,  unanimously  endorsed  by  the 
platform participants in January 2016. The expert report was complemented by a Cost Benefit 
Analysis16  and  a  public  consultation17  which  together  have  laid  the  groundwork  for  this 
Communication. Meanwhile, the C-ITS platform started its second phase in July 2016. 

The  EU  has  already  made  substantial  funding18  available  for  cooperative,  connected  and 
automated  vehicles.  For  more  than 15  years, research and deployment  projects  have  proved 
the feasibility of C-ITS services. More recently under Horizon 2020, research into Intelligent 
Transport Systems has shifted focus to the integration of transport modes and the links with 
automation. A dedicated call for project proposals on automated road transport was launched 
in  2016.  In  the  context  of  the  Strategic  Transport  Research  and  Innovation  Agenda,  the 
Commission  is  developing  a  roadmap  on  connected  and  automated  transport  to  steer  and 
coordinate  future  R&I  activities  in  Europe.  This  work  is  complemented  by  large-scale 
deployment  projects  to  develop  cooperative  systems  on  the  Trans-European  Transport 
network  in  13  countries,19  making  use  of  EU  funding  programmes  such  as  the  Connecting 
Europe Facility (CEF). 

On  the  policy  for  highly  automated  and  connected  vehicles,  a  number  of  Member  States’ 
authorities, NGOs and industry stakeholders are cooperating with the relevant Commissioners 
within  GEAR  2030,  a  High  Level  Group  set  up  October  2015  to  look  at  the  future  of  the 
automotive sector. The results of the C-ITS platform will feed into GEAR 2030, providing it 
with a transport system perspective. The goal of the group is to present first recommendations 
by the end of 2016 with final recommendations by mid-2017. 

A high-level dialogue, in the form of industry Roundtables involving the telecom and vehicle 
manufacturing  industry,  was  launched  in  autumn  2015  to  develop  synergies  in  the  area  of 
connected  and  automated  vehicles.  This  dialogue  is  expected  to  help  the  automotive  sector 
take advantage of digital developments such as the Internet of Things, Big Data, the telecoms 
policy  and  digitalisation  of  industry,  and  has  already  resulted  in  a  commitment  from  both 
industries to form new alliances and start experimenting with 5G technologies. 

As  referred  to  in  the  2017  Commission  Work  Programme  the  Commission  will  continue 
working  on  the  regulatory  environment,  ecosystem-building,  resource  efficiency  and 

14 The Platform for the Deployment of C-ITS in the European Union (C-ITS Platform - launched in November 
2014  as  a  Commission  Expert  Group)  provides  an  operational  instrument  for  dialogue,  exchange  of  technical 
knowledge  and  cooperation  amongst  the  Commission,  public stakeholders  from  Member  States,  local/regional 
authorities and private stakeholders such as e.g. vehicle manufacturers, equipment manufacturers, road operators, 
telecom operators and service providers. 
15 Final Report of the C-ITS Platform, January 2016 
16 Study on the Deployment of C-ITS in Europe: Final Report, February 2016 
17 Analysis of responses to the public consultation on C-ITS (DG MOVE, open June - September 2016) 
18  EU  co-funding  of  over  130  Million  EUR  alone  since  2014  through  CEF  and  H2020  on  the  topic  of 
cooperative, connected and automated vehicles 
19 AT, BE, CZ, DE, DK, ES, FI, FR, NL, NO, SE, SI, UK 

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standardisation  to  facilitate  the  market  introduction  of  increasingly  efficient  cooperative, 
connected and automated vehicles. 

Building  on  these  initiatives,  an  unprecedented  level  of  cooperation  across  many  sectors  is 
required  to  make  C-ITS  deployment  a  success.  Roles  and  responsibilities  along  the  value 
chain are blurring, putting into question existing concepts. To avoid possible rebound effects, 
such  as  a  net  increase  in  traffic  and  emissions,  close  cooperation  with  local  authorities  is 
necessary.  For  example,  to  integrate  cooperative,  connected  and  automated  vehicles  into 
sustainable  mobility  planning  or  the  concept  of  ‘Mobility  as  a  Service’,  including  public 
transport and active travel modes such as walking and cycling. To ensure wide acceptance of 
C-ITS  technologies  and  maximise  their  economic  and  social  impact,  citizen  involvement  is 
key and C-ITS deployment should focus on the user. 

A  digital  transport  system  requires  thinking  in  horizontal  layers,  cutting  across  different 
transport  modes  and  industries,  rather  than  in  vertical  silos  (such  as  transport,  energy  or 
telecommunication). The focus can no longer be on the infrastructure layer alone (for instance 
roads and vehicles). Digital technologies also build on a data layer which contains both static 
data  such  as  digital  maps  or  traffic  regulations  and  dynamic  data  such  as  real-time  traffic 
information.  These  data  are  then  used  to  develop  a  layer  of  innovative  services  and 
applications, which are made available over a layer of networks. To make best use of digital 
technologies, market access and fair competition in each of these layers needs to be ensured, 
as recommended by the Commission Communication on online platforms.20 

3.  THE WAY TOWARDS C-ITS DEPLOYMENT IN 2019 

Following  the  recommendations  of  the  C-ITS  Platform,21  the  Commission  has  identified 
issues  which  should  be  tackled  at  EU  level  to  ensure  coordinated  deployment  of  C-ITS 
services  in  2019.  The  following  chapters  propose  specific  action  to  address  each  issue, 
including enabling conditions at European, Member State, public authority and industry level. 

3.1.  Priorities for deployment of C-ITS Services 

Continuity of service, i.e. the availability of C-ITS services across the EU for end-users, is the 
most important factor for swift deployment of C-ITS in Europe. From the start, the services 
deployed  should  be  as  widely  available  as  possible,  both  on  the  side  of  infrastructure  and 
vehicles.  Therefore,  this  Communication  sets  priorities  for  a  coordinated  deployment  of  C-
ITS services by Member States and industry. 

At  the  Commission’s  request,  the  C-ITS  platform  has  analysed  the  costs  and  benefits  of 
deploying C-ITS enabled services for road transport in the Member States.16 To this end the 
Platform  discussed  the  most  promising  deployment  scenarios  in  terms  of  rapid  and 
widespread uptake. 

20 Online Platforms and the Digital Single Market Opportunities and Challenges for Europe, COM(2016) 288 
21 According to the final report of the C-ITS Platform these are: 
- a ‘Day 1’list of commonly agreed C-ITS services for deployment across the EU; 
- a common vision to tackle cyber security detailed in an agreed Trust Model; 
- an assessment of C-ITS benefits across Europe, based on a hybrid communication approach; 
- guiding principles for  access  to  in-vehicle  data.  Further  legal  and  technical  analyses and  the  development  of 
scenarios based on the cost benefit assessment of the different possible technical solutions is needed. The results 
of a dedicated Commission study will be available mid of 2017; 
-  a  detailed  analysis  of  privacy  and  data  protection,  which  constitutes  a  sound  basis  for  further  work  on  the 
implementation of the new requirements stemming from the new General Data Protection Regulation. 

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The  conclusion  was  that  Day  1  C-ITS  services  –  when  deployed  in  an  interoperable  way 
across Europe – will produce a benefit cost ratio of up to 3 to 1 based on cumulative costs and 
benefits  from  2018  to  2030.  This  means  that  every  euro  invested  in  Day  1  C-ITS  services 
should generate up to three euro in benefits. Rapidly deploying as many services as possible 
will also mean they break even more quickly and will lead to higher overall benefits, mainly 
due to the network effect (which means that slow initial uptake rates would result in relatively 
long periods with few benefits). 

Based  on  this  work,  the  Commission  considers  that  a  list  of  technologically-mature  and 
highly-beneficial C-ITS services should be deployed quickly so that end-users and society at 
large can benefit from them as soon as possible. This early deployment list is defined below 
as the Day 1 C-ITS services list. 

In a second phase, the Day 1.5 C-ITS services list would be deployed. This is a list of services 
for  which  full  specifications  or  standards  might  not  be  completely  ready  for  large  scale 
deployment from 2019, even though they are considered to be generally mature. 

Respondents to the public consultation agreed all services (from both lists) should be included 
in early deployment. 

Day 1 C-ITS services list 
Hazardous location notifications: 

  Slow or stationary vehicle(s) & traffic ahead warning; 
  Road works warning; 
  Weather conditions; 
  Emergency brake light; 
  Emergency vehicle approaching; 
  Other hazards. 
Signage applications: 

In-vehicle signage; 
In-vehicle speed limits; 

 
 
  Signal violation / intersection safety; 
  Traffic signal priority request by designated vehicles; 
  Green light optimal speed advisory; 
  Probe vehicle data; 
  Shockwave damping (falls under European Telecommunication Standards Institute 

(ETSI) category ‘local hazard warning’). 

Day 1.5 C-ITS services list 

Information on fuelling & charging stations for alternative fuel vehicles; 

 
  Vulnerable road user protection; 
  On street parking management & information; 
  Off street parking information; 
  Park & ride information; 
  Connected  &  cooperative  navigation  into  and  out  of  the  city  (first  and  last  mile, 

parking, route advice, coordinated traffic lights); 

  Traffic information & smart routing. 

Specific actions 
  Member States and local authorities, vehicle manufacturers, road operators and the ITS 
industry  should  implement  C-ITS  and  ensure  that  at  least  the  list  of  Day  1  C-ITS 

6 

 
 
services is fully supported. 

  The Commission will support Member States and industry in deploying Day 1 C-ITS 
services,  notably  through  the  Connecting  Europe  Facility,  European  Structural  and 
Investment Funds and the European Fund for Strategic Investments. 

  The Commission will provide funding for research and innovation through H2020, and 
possibly the European Structural & Investment Funds, for Day 1.5 C-ITS services and 
beyond, including higher levels of automation. 

  The Commission will encourage the update of the Day 1.5 service list and future C-ITS 

service lists, through the continuation of the C-ITS Platform process. 

3.2.  Security of C-ITS communications 

As  the  transport  system  becomes  more  and  more  digitised,  it  may  also  become  more 
vulnerable  to  hacking  and  cyber-attacks.  The  cyber-security  of  C-ITS  communications  is 
therefore  critical,  and  requires  action  at  European  level.  Without  clear  rules,  adopted  at  the 
Union  level,  C-ITS  deployment  in  the  EU  will  be  delayed  as  investors  are  looking  for  a 
common  approach  for  the  internal  market.  Also,  fragmented  security  solutions  will  put 
interoperability and the safety of end-users at risk. 

The  Commission  therefore  believes  a  common  security  and  certificate  policy22  for  C-ITS 
deployment in Europe needs to be developed. This view is supported by the recommendations 
of the C-ITS platform and the public consultation. Developing this policy depends on political 
support  in  Europe  for  a  uniform  and  widely-accepted  security  solution  for  cooperative  and 
connected vehicles, and related public infrastructure elements. 

To develop and establish an EU-wide security framework, based on Public Key Infrastructure 
technology,23  for  vehicles  and  public  infrastructure  elements,  including  a  compliance 
assessment process, all stakeholders need to be involved. A key challenge will therefore be to 
set  up  the  necessary  governance  at  EU,  national  and  industry  levels  involving  all  main 
stakeholders,  including  public  authorities  (e.g.  transport  ministries  and  the  responsible 
national security associations), road operators, vehicle manufacturers, C-ITS service suppliers 
and operators. Developing a common security solution  for the deployment  and operation of 
C-ITS  in  Europe  will  in  turn  lay  the  foundation  for  stronger  security  at  higher  levels  of 
automation (including vehicle to vehicle and vehicle to infrastructure communication). 

Specific actions 
  The Commission will work together with all relevant stakeholders in the C-ITS domain 
to  steer  the  development  of  a  common  security  and  certificate  policy  for  deployment 
and operation of C-ITS in Europe. It will publish guidance regarding the European C-
ITS security and certificate policy in 2017. 

  All C-ITS deployment initiatives should participate in the development of this common 
security  policy  by  committing  from  the  beginning  to  implement  future-proof  C-ITS 
services in Europe. 

22  The  common  security  and  certificate  policy  documents  will  for  instance  define  the  European  C-ITS  Trust 
model based on Public Key Infrastructure. They will, amongst others define legal, organisational and technical 
requirements for the management of public key certificates for C-ITS services based on the structures identified 
in (IETF) RFC 3647. 
23  In  this  context,  public  key  infrastructure  is  the  combination  of  software,  asymmetric  cryptographic 
technologies, processes, and services that enable an organization to secure C-ITS communications. 

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  The Commission will analyse the roles and responsibilities of the European C-ITS 

Trust Model, and whether some operational functions and governance roles should be 
taken over by the Commission (as, for instance, in the case of the Smart Tachograph24). 

3.3.  Privacy and data protection safeguards 

The  protection  of  personal  data  and  privacy  is  a  determining  factor  for  the  successful 
deployment of cooperative, connected and automated vehicles. Users must have the assurance 
that  personal  data are  not  a commodity, and know they can  effectively  control how and for 
what purposes their data are being used. 

Data  broadcast  by  C-ITS  from  vehicles  will, in  principle,  qualify  as  personal  data as  it  will 
relate to an identified  or identifiable natural person. The implementation of C-ITS therefore 
requires  compliance  with  the  applicable  data  protection  legal  framework25.  These  rules  lay 
down  that  processing  of  such  data  is  only  lawful  if  it  is  based  on  one  of  the  grounds  listed 
therein, such as the consent of users. 

Data  protection  by  design  and  by  default  principles  and  data  protection  impact  assessments 
are of central importance in the basic C-ITS system layout and engineering, especially in the 
context  of  the  applied  communication  security  scheme.  The  responses  to  the  public 
consultation indicate that when these conditions are met the willingness of end-users to give 
consent to broadcast data is not a barrier, in particular when the data is to be used to enhance 
road safety or improve traffic management. 

Specific actions 
  C-ITS  service  providers  should  offer  transparent  terms  and  conditions  to  end-users, 
using  clear  and  plain  language  in  an  intelligible  way  and  in  easily  accessible  forms, 
enabling them to give their consent for the processing of their personal data. 

  The Commission will publish first guidance regarding data protection by design and by 

default, specifically related to C-ITS, in 2018. 

  The C-ITS deployment initiatives should: 

o  work  on  information  campaigns  to  create  the  necessary  trust  among  end-users  and 

achieve public acceptance; 

o  demonstrate  how  using  personal  data  can  improve  safety  and  efficiency  of  the 
transport system while ensuring compliance with data protection and privacy rules; 
o  consult with EU Data Protection Authorities to develop a sector based data protection 

impact assessment template to be used when introducing new C-ITS services. 

3.4.  Communication technologies and frequencies 

C-ITS  messages  will  be  transmitted  for  a  wide  range  of  services,  in  various  transport 
situations  and  between  different  actors.  Generally,  drivers  do  not  care  what  communication 
technology  is  used  to  transmit  C-ITS  messages,  but  will  increasingly  expect  to  receive  all 
information  on  traffic  and  safety  conditions  seamlessly  across  Europe.  This  can  only  be 

24  The  Digital  Tachograph  records  professional  drivers’  activities  (rest  and  driving  hours).  It  provides 
trustworthy  information  to  EU  enforcers  checking  compliance  with  the  Social  Regulation  (EC)  No  561/2006: 
https://dtc.jrc.ec.europa.eu/.  A  new  version  of  the  Digital  Tachograph  (Smart  Tachograph)  was  defined  in 
Regulation (EC) No 165/2014. 
25 Directive 95/46/EC applies until 24 May 2018. It has been repealed by Regulation (EU) 2016/679 - General 
Data Protection Regulation, applicable on 25 May 2018. Directive 2002/58/EC of 12 July 2002 concerning the 
processing  of  personal  data  and  the  protection  of  privacy  in  the  electronic  communications  sector  is  currently 
under a REFIT exercise by the Commission. 

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achieved  through  a  hybrid  communication  approach,  i.e.  by  combining  complementary 
communication technologies. 

To support all C-ITS services on the vehicle side, the full hybrid communication mix needs to 
be on-board.26 On the infrastructure side the choice of communication technology will depend 
on the location, the type of service and cost efficiency. C-ITS messages should be unaware of, 
and  thus  flexible  about  the  communication  technology  used,  easing  the  inclusion  of  future 
technologies (e.g. 5G27 and satellite communication11) into the hybrid communication mix. 

Currently, the most promising hybrid communication mix is a combination of ETSI ITS-G5 
and  existing  cellular  networks.  This  ensures  the  best  possible  support  for  deployment  of  all 
Day 1 C-ITS services. It combines low latency of ETSI ITS-G5 for time-critical safety-related 
C-ITS messages with wide geographical coverage and access to large user groups of existing 
cellular networks. 

In  2008,  the  Commission  designated  a  specific  frequency  band  for  safety-related 
applications.28  Initial  deployment  for  short  range  vehicle-to-vehicle  and  vehicle-to-
infrastructure communication will be based on technologies already available using this band  
and  where  appropriate  will  operate 
in  seamless  co-existence  with  5G,  under  a 
complementarity principle. To safeguard existing and future safety-related applications from 
harmful  interference,  co-existence  with  applications  using  adjacent  bands  or  the  same 
spectrum  needs  to  be  ensured.  Adequate  mitigation  techniques  need  to  be  defined  and 
implemented (e.g. the co-existence with tolling) and spectrum allocation should be assessed 
carefully  (e.g.  the  effect  of  the  proposed  Radio  Local  Area  Network  extension  into  this 
frequency band). 

The  respondents  to  the  public  consultation  give  widespread  support  for  the  hybrid 
communication approach. Less than 5% disagrees with initial deployment based on ETSI ITS-
G5, and the vast majority sees 5G playing an important role in the long-term. 

Specific actions 
  Road  authorities,  service  providers,  vehicle  and  radio  equipment  manufacturers  and 
other  industrial  players  should  adopt  a  strategy  for  hybrid  communication  in 
procurement and serial production in order to support the full Day 1 C-ITS services list. 
  Telecom  operators  that  support  C-ITS  services  should  appropriately  manage  network 

load for road safety related C-ITS services. 

  The Commission will maintain the designation of spectrum used by ETSI ITS-G5 for 
safety-related  ITS  services  and  support  measures  to  protect  this  frequency  band  from 
harmful  interference,  both  at  the  European  and  international  level  (UN  International 
Telecommunication  Union 
and 
Telecommunications Administrations). 

and  European  Conference 

Postal 

of 

  C-ITS deployment initiatives  should implement  the relevant  mitigation techniques  for 

co-existence according to ETSI standards and procedures. 

3.5.  Interoperability at all levels 

An  integrated  transport  system  relies  on  the  interoperability  of  its  components.  That  means 
that systems need to be able to interact with each other, across borders and transport modes, at 

26 Respecting the Radio Equipment Directive 2014/53/EU 
27 COM(2016)588: 5G for Europe: An Action Plan and accompanying Staff Working Document SWD(2016)306 
28 Decision 2008/671/EC 

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all  levels:  infrastructure,  data,  services,  applications  and  networks.  While  standardisation 
activities  are  necessary,  they  alone  are  not  sufficient  to  ensure  interoperability.  EU-wide 
deployment  specifications  therefore  have  to  be  defined  and  agreed  upon.  This  includes 
ensuring that the applicable EU standards29 are understood and consistently applied. 

To  this  end,  C-ITS  deployment  initiatives  within  the  EU  should  define  and  publish  the 
technical C-ITS communication profiles needed to ensure the interoperability of Day 1 C-ITS 
services.  They  should  also  develop  test  procedures  to  check  the  interoperability  of  these 
profiles. Granting mutual access to communication profiles will ensure that best practises and 
lessons  learned  from  real  life  operation  are  shared.  It  should  also  lead  to  a  gradual 
convergence  of  profiles,  creating  the  conditions  for  EU-wide  interoperability.  The  aim  is  to 
enable  a  single  market  for  C-ITS  services  in  Europe  based  on  common  communication 
profiles, which, however, leave space for future innovative services. 

In 2016, Member States and the Commission launched the C-Roads Platform30 to link C-ITS 
deployment  activities,  jointly  develop  and  share  technical  specifications  and  to  verify 
interoperability  through  cross-site  testing.  Initially  created  for  C-ITS  deployment  initiatives 
co-funded by the EU, C-Roads is open to all deployment activities for interoperability testing. 

Specific actions 
  The  Commission  will  make  full  use  of  the  C-Roads  platform  as  the  coordination 

mechanism for C-ITS deployment at operational level. 

  Member  States  should  join  the  C-Roads  platform  for  testing  and  validation,  ensuring 

the interoperability of Day 1 C-ITS services across the EU. 

  C-ITS deployment initiatives should complete their C-ITS communication profiles and 

publish them together with the testing and applicable validation standards. 

  The  C-Roads  platform  should  start  developing  system  tests  based  on  the  common 
communication profiles within one year of the start of the project, and give full access 
to these communication profiles to third parties and industry players, which should use 
these opportunities for validation. 

3.6.  Compliance assessment 

The  seamless  deployment  of  Day  1  C-ITS  services  requires  an  effective  compliance 
assessment  framework  that  allows  services  to  be  checked  against  EU-wide  system 
requirements. Especially for road-safety-related applications, there is a strong public interest 
in developing such a framework for key elements of the C-ITS network such as security, data 
protection  or  interoperability,  to  ensure  that  drivers  receive  consistent  warnings  in  different 
traffic environments across the EU. 

The  first  step  for  setting  up  such  a  framework  will  be  to  define  common  minimum 
requirements  for  the  deployment  of  Day  1  C-ITS  services,  validated  by  all  relevant 
stakeholders. This will provide the basis needed to jointly develop a fully-fledged compliance 
assessment process for Day 1 C-ITS services. This is also a prerequisite for either introducing 
new  services  (e.g.  Day  2)  or  extending  existing  services  into  new  areas  of  application  (e.g. 
fully  automated  vehicles  and  their  communications).  An  important  guiding  principle  for  all 

29 M/453 (2009): Standardisation Mandate addressed to CEN, CENELEC and ETSI in the field of Information 
and  Communication  Technologies  to  support  the  Interoperability  of  Co-operative  Systems  for  Intelligent 
Transport in the European Community; 
M/284,329,358,363 under the RTTED (1999/5/EC), now consolidated under M/536 under the RED. 
30 The C-Roads Platform is co-funded under the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) 

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future  implementation  activities  is  that  they  need  to  be  compliant  on  both  the  infrastructure 
and vehicle side with the full Day 1 C-ITS service list. 

Specific actions 
  C-ITS  deployment  initiatives  should  help  define  a  compliance  assessment  process  for 

Day 1 C-ITS services and publish it to ensure third parties have full access. 

  The Commission will support the deployment initiatives in developing a fully-fledged 
common compliance assessment process for all key elements to ensure the continuity of 
C-ITS services and take into account potential service extensions. 

3.7.  Legal framework 

If  the  EU  wants  to  deploy  the  Day  1  C-ITS  services  in  2019,  investments  and  regulatory 
frameworks  need  to  converge  across  Europe.  Rapid  technological  developments  and  the 
complexity of the issues at stake mean the right legal framework is needed. The Commission 
believes  this  framework  needs  to  be  developed  through  learning  by  experience,  using 
feedback  from  and  interaction  between  the  C-ITS  deployment  initiatives  and  the  C-ITS 
Platform. 

As  a  result  of  this  process,  and  in  close  cooperation  with  all  stakeholders,  the  Commission 
will  consider  using  the  ITS  Directive  2010/40/EU31.  Other  legal  instruments  might  also  be 
considered,  e.g.  for  compliance  assessment  processes.  The  public  consultation  showed  that 
70%  of  respondents  are  in  favour  of  Commission  action  to  support  both  in-vehicle 
communication equipment and the deployment of selected C-ITS services. 

Specific actions 
The Commission will consider, where appropriate, making use of its mandate under the 
ITS Directive to adopt delegated act(s) by 2018 on: 
  ensuring continuity of C-ITS services 
 
  ensuring the practical implementation of the General Data Protection Regulation in the 

laying down rules to ensure security of C-ITS communications 

area of C-ITS 

  ensuring a forward looking hybrid communication approach 
 
 

laying down rules on interoperability 
laying down rules on the compliance assessment processes  

31 The ITS Directive 2010/40/EU may be used as the basis to adopt a coherent set of rules at EU level in order to 
create a single market for cooperative, connected and automated vehicles. The directive identifies in its Article 2 
priority areas for the development and use of specifications and standards, among which the area of linking the 
vehicle  with  the  transport  infrastructure  is  included.  The  actions  to  be  taken  in  this  priority  area  are  further 
detailed  in  Annex  1  to  this  Directive  and  comprise,  among  others,  the  definition  of  necessary  measures  to 
integrate different ITS applications on an open in-vehicle platform and to further progress the development and 
implementation  of  cooperative  (vehicle-vehicle,  vehicle-infrastructure,  infrastructure-infrastructure)  systems. 
Article  6  of  the  same  Directive  empowers  the  Commission  to  adopt  specifications  ensuring  compatibility, 
interoperability and continuity for the deployment and operational use of ITS for other actions to be taken in the 
priority areas identified in Article 2. Those specifications should be adopted through a delegated act. In addition, 
the Commission could also use the empowerment bestowed upon it in priority area III which relates to ITS road 
safety and security applications and which are further detailed in point 4 of Annex I to the ITS Directive. The 
Commission is preparing the extension of the time frame of the mandate to adopt delegated acts under the ITS 
Directive 2010/40/EU. 

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3.8.  International cooperation 

International  cooperation  in  the  area  of  cooperative,  connected  and  automated  vehicles  is 
fundamental as markets are developing globally. Public authorities have an interest in learning 
from each other and ensuring swift deployment of new technologies. Industry too has a strong 
interest  in  international  cooperation,  since  it  is  looking  for  global  markets  when  developing 
equipment, services and business models. 

The EU has already benefitted from cooperation with Australia, Japan, Singapore and the US 
in  areas  such  as  research,  security  and  harmonisation  of  standards.  The  EU  should  remain 
engaged  with  international  partners  to  continue  to  benefit  from  their  experiences,  especially 
those gained from large scale deployment initiatives. 

This includes promoting international standardisation (e.g. vehicle regulation and traffic rules 
in  the  United  Nations  Economic  Commission  for  Europe),  protecting  the  privacy  of 
individuals and their personal data and cyber security, addressing legal aspects and enabling 
the coordination of research. 

The G7 has also developed into an important arena for policy coordination and convergence 
at  international  level.  Recently  the  G7  transport  ministers  agreed  on  two  declarations  to 
support  the  safe  and  effective  early  commercialisation  of  cooperative,  connected  and 
automated vehicle technologies. 

Specific actions 
The Commission will: 
  Continue promoting the convergence and coordination of C-ITS development and 
deployment activities in cooperation with international partners and initiatives. 

  Continue engaging in the twinning of Horizon 2020 research and innovation projects in 

the field of ITS with similar projects in third countries. 

4.  CONCLUSION 

The coordinated and rapid  deployment of cooperative, connected and automated vehicles in 
road transport urgently requires EU action. If successful, deploying these vehicles will make 
an  important  contribution  to  improving  road  safety,  increasing  the  efficiency  of  road 
transport, and ensuring the competitiveness of EU industry. 

With  this  Communication  the  Commission  reaches  an  important  milestone  in  creating  a 
European  strategy  for  the  deployment  of  cooperative,  connected  and automated  vehicles,  as 
called  for  in  the  Declaration  of  Amsterdam.  Together  with  other  road  initiatives  which  the 
Commission  plans  to  adopt  in  2017,  this  Communication  should  contribute  to  shaping  the 
EU's road transport system of the future and to overcome the key challenges it faces  today. 
The actions needed to achieve this goal and timeline have been identified and require a joint 
effort by all actors involved. 

The  Commission  will  seek  to  ensure  synergies  and  coherence  between  ongoing  and  future 
initiatives and support the leading position of the Union in the field of cooperative, connected 
and automated vehicles. It calls upon all parties concerned, and in particular Member States 
and industry, to support the approach presented in this Communication, and collaborate at all 
levels  and  across  sectors  to  start  deploying  cooperative  intelligent  transport  systems 
successfully in 2019. 

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