Brussels, 3 April 2019. As Europe prepares to elect a new European Parliament and appoint new Commissioners, the European Automotive and Telecoms Alliance (EATA) urges policy makers to step up efforts in order to 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. Safer and cleaner cars moving smoothly across Europe, less congested cities, increased productivity in the logistics sector, and self- driving vehicles making lives easier are just some of the things we can expect.
In this context, EATA has just launched its manifesto to accelerate the deployment of connected and automated mobility (CAM) in Europe. In the manifesto, four enabling principles for creating the right policy environment 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.
Similarly, it will also be of particular importance to ensure that Europe develops a globally-competitive digital infrastructure, which is a key enabler of CAM.
“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.”
Afke Schaart, EATA Vice-Chairman and Vice President & Head of Europe at the GSMA (representing mobile operators worldwide and the broader mobile ecosystem) added: “With the manifesto that we present today, we do not just formulate our common vision on the deployment of connected and automated driving in Europe. It is also an expression of unprecedented collaboration between the two industries with the aim to bring Europe’s transport system to a higher – and safer – level in the next years.”
Embracing these principles will be particularly important from a societal viewpoint, as connected and automated mobility can significantly contribute to creating new growth opportunities for Europe and help the EU economy transition to a more environmentally-sustainable model.
EATA is a unique organisation, as it is the only European platform to bring together key players from the auto and telecoms 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.
Read the full EATA manifesto here: www.eata.be/manifesto
The manifesto has been developed by EATA’s founding members: ACEA, CLEPA, ECTA, ETNO, GSA and GSMA.
