The European Commission Directive 93/89/EEC requires Member States of the European Union intending to introduce electronic toll systems to bear in mind the desirability of interoperability between systems. A new Directive in preparation is more positive and requires Member States to cooperate with the aim of achieving interoperability between systems. The new Directive also introduces the concept of vehicle classification by means of claimed characteristics as part of a process of internalising external costs. The Commission is required to present a report to the Council no later than the end of 1999 on the implementation of the Directive taking into account developments in technology and congestion with an interim report by the end of 1998 on matters concerning interoperability and including the possibility of automatic classification and enforcement. It was with these requirements in mind that CARDME, the Concerted Action for Research on Demand Management in Europe was set in being. The recent establishment of a High Level Group to propose a general strategy and a framework for the deployment of telematics applications for road transport has lent added urgency to the CARDME activity.
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