Slovenia, Austria, Hungary to create driverless region
Budapest, 23 March - Slovenia, Austria and Hungary signed in Budapest on Friday a memorandum of understanding on cross-border cooperation in developing and testing electric, integrated and autonomous vehicles.
Geneva, Switzerland
Nucleus, a prototype of driverless electric car manufactured by Italy's Icona.
Photo: Slovenian company Elaphe
File photo
Ljubljana
Slovenian Minister of Infrastructure Peter Gašperšič
Photo: Nebojša Tejić/STA
File photo
Most notably, the memorandum advocates creating conditions to establish an Austrian-Hungarian-Slovenian driverless region, which facilitates the expansion of new mobile technologies and vehicles.
It encourages the exchange of best practice, scientific cooperation, pilot projects and legislation harmonisation, the Infrastructure Ministry said in a press release.
The document was signed by Infrastructure Minister Peter Gašperšič, Austrian Transport, Innovation and Technology Minister Norbert Hofer and Hungarian Minister for National Economy Mihaly Varga.
The signing ceremony was also attended by European Transport Commissioner Violeta Bulc, the Slovenian member of the EU Commission.
"Future is here. By signing this agreement, we've opened the door to it," Gašperšič was quoted by the ministry as saying.
He is also happy that Slovenian companies and research centres will take part in this pioneering endeavour.
The signatories maintain that digitalisation and decarbonisation are key to the future system of mobility, which must be safe, efficient and sustainable.
Gašperšič also outlined Slovenia's e-mobility measures and projects which are part of the EU's cohesion policy.