Council resolution on telematics in transport
The Council of the European Union, meeting in Brussels, on 11 March 1997, agreed a resolution on electronic fee collection and road transport telematics. The resolution notes the work underway for the preparation of a Community strategy for the deployment of telematics systems in road transport, and the important role to be played by the private sector. In the context of the trans-European networks, the Council calls on Member States and the Commission to increase efforts to ensure the interoperability of electronic toll systems at European level, and to examine the problems of convergence with existing systems. The resolution calls for interoperability to be a major consideration in the development and implication of electronic fee collection systems, taking account of existing systems and the work of European standardization bodies. Member States should ensure that in implementing new systems, they take full account of the interoperability strategy. The Council notes the Commission's proposed action plan for the deployment of road transport telematics, encompassing electronic fee collection, radio data system/transport message channel (RDS/TMC), transport data interchange and information management, the human/machine interface and systems architecture. In this regard, the resolution calls on Member States, the Commission and other key players to promote the development of road transport telematics systems, including by supporting R&D and validation projects, and supporting the standardization process.