EUCAD 2021: A CCAM partnership for Europe
The highly anticipated “3rd European Conference on Connected and Automated Driving – EUCAD 2021” took place from 20 to 22 April 2021. The event brought together political leaders from the European Commission and the Member States with high-level representatives of industry, knowledge institutes and road authorities to exchange knowledge and experience on the most recent technological developments and policies in the area of CCAM.
The conference was opened by Mariya Gabriel, Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth, and Adina Vălean, Commissioner for Transport. The highlight in the first plenary was the “CCAM Partnership for Europe”, introduced by Rosalinde van der Vlies, Director, DG RTD. The EUCAR Chair, Helene Niklasson, Vice President Innovation Ecosystems and Partnerships, Volvo Group, emphasised the industry’s ambition for sustainable, safe, clean, and efficient road transport solutions, providing freedom of mobility to all, with benefits to users and society. She said: “We have high expectations on CCAM to foster a strong collaborative mindset, develop and bring automated solutions to be implemented and integrated into the society”. Other speakers in this session were Sabine Kuehschelm, Conference of European Directors of Roads (CEDR) HL Representative for CAD; Anjes Tjarks, Senator for Transport and Mobility of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg; and Sigrid de Vries, Secretary General of CLEPA (EU Association of Automotive Suppliers).
As Chairman of the newly founded Association supporting the CCAM Partnership, Armin Gräter from BMW Group participated in the closing session. He identified the next challenges and topics to address across thematic areas. Other speakers were Ingrid Skogsmo, Senior Research Leader Future Transportation, Swedish National Road and Transport Research Institute (VTI); Laurianne Krid, Director General, Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) Region I; and Steve Philips, Secretary-General, CEDR. Finally, Jean-Eric Paquet, Director General, DG RTD, European Commission emphasised in his closing remarks the user-centred and all-inclusive mobility approach of the CCAM Partnership, complementing the necessary technology development.