European cooperation on testing automated vehicles across borders in global race

European countries have backed a drive to test automated vehicles in cross-border test sites while jointly addressing data issues in a bid to build a "European data economy".

The agreement between members of the European Union and European Economic Area - the U.K excluded - sets out to "help the automotive industry maintain its global lead in the area of connected and automated cars" after the automative and telecom industries joined forces. The European Alliance of Telecoms and Automotive was set up to develop intelligent cross-border testing of what connectivity and automation offer for road transport in real traffic conditions.

The European Commission said that, following this, member states need "to collaborate to realise the EU's ambitious vision for cooperative, connected and automated mobility in a digital single market," with member states working together on individual cross-border sections, itineraries or corridors, focused on road safety, data access, data quality and liability. France and Germany already built a cross-border corridor between Lorraine and Saarland to test connected and automated driving, a first step to be expanded, with the Commission linking different test sections and ensuring interoperability across borders.