C-ITS communication: An insight on the current research activities in the European Union

Cooperative-Intelligent Transportation Systems aim at connecting vehicles, among them and/with road infrastructures, so as to increase traffic safety and efficiency. The paper focuses on the European framework for supporting the development of Cooperative, Connected and Automated Mobility, in order to provide an overview about the current status of testing and deployment activities in the field, in view of the milestone of 2019 which has been identified as the start time for the actual deployment of mature services. Therefore, firstly, the European strategy is described and communication (collectively known as vehicle-to-everything) services, as well as related technologies, are discussed. Then, funded research projects across the Union are recalled and, finally, a critical discussion on the resulting picture is provided.