On 10–11 June 2025, ERTICO hosted its first edition of the Annual Partnership Forum, held on the day of its 35th General Assembly.
As catalysts of innovation development, ERTICO presented its Vision 2035, with a renewed Mission and four strategic areas with transversal elements of enablers and outcomes. This announcement marked a new chapter for ERTICO and its Partnership as thought leaders for advancing, sharing, and exchanging insights and knowledge on transport challenges and smart and sustainable mobility solutions.
The two-day Forum combined high-level policy engagement and sectoral collaboration, with the first day dedicated to strategic alignment and dialogue, and the second to translating ideas into actionable roadmaps and forward-looking project planning.
A Strategic Momentum on Day One
The opening day of the ERTICO Partnership Forum convened key stakeholders from across the mobility ecosystem for a focused exchange on shaping Europe’s intelligent transport future. The Forum kicked off a two-day programme dedicated to co-creating strategic roadmaps through high-level discussions and collaborative breakout sessions.
The day began with a captivating speech on road safety by Sharron McMurray, Governance Manager at ERTICO, who set the scene for the forthcoming discussions. Dr Angelos Amditis, ERTICO Chairman, followed with his welcoming remarks, underlining the urgency of accelerating innovation and the essential role of collaboration across sectors. Agne Vaitekenaite, Head of Advocacy & Partnership, served as Master of Ceremonies, steering the agenda.
An inspirational keynote and panel discussion followed, featuring Eric von Breska, Director for Investment, Innovative & Sustainable Transport at the European Commission’s DG MOVE. During his intervention, Eric provided valuable perspectives on the EU’s priorities for mobility innovation and investment. Emphasising the alignment between ERTICO’s Vision 2035 and EU policy priorities, he outlined three pillars:
- Automation and digitalisation
- Integration of data and infrastructure
- Reinforced public-private cooperation
In his closing remarks, Eric referenced the Automotive Action Plan and the revision of the ITS Directive as cornerstones of Europe’s digital transport strategy. He also stressed the importance of maintaining Europe’s global competitiveness through harmonised legislation, cross-border testing environments, and the development of a common European mobility data space. He also announced the forthcoming Connecting Europe Facility calls for ITS initiatives and the Commission’s ambition to enable seamless multimodal travel via a single digital ticketing platform, with a proposal expected by year-end.
Joost Vantomme, ERTICO CEO, took the audience on a reflective journey through the key developments in transport and mobility since last years’s General Assembly. He presented a detailed analysis of emerging realities, challenges, and European priorities, all of which align closely with ERTICO’s renewed Vision and Mission.
The subsequent panel discussion on current trends and challenges was moderated by Joost Vantomme and brought together many sector representatives of the partnership: Chairman, Dr Angelos Amditis (ICCS, Research Sector), Vice Chairman, Ronald Adams (Dutch road authority Rijkswaterstaat, Public Authority Sector), Chairman of the Finance Group Wolfgang Foltin (DENSO, Suppliers Sector), Chairman of the ERTICO Strategy Committee, Thomas Jaeger (DEKRA, Service Providers Sector), Peter-Robert Zillekens (T-Systems, Connectivity Sector), Dr Christoph Stoegerer (SWARCO, Traffic and Transport Sector), Stefan Deix (EUCAR, Vehicle Manufacturers Sector).
Together, they explored key trends impacting their sectors over the past year. Notable themes included:
- The urgent need to modernise Europe’s ageing infrastructure
- Ensuring that technology and funding mechanisms enable scalable deployment across borders
- The critical role of services as enablers of ITS innovation, especially in advancing safety
- Accelerating research and deployment to remain globally competitive
- Continued evolution of the Automotive Action Plan, with industry voices urging ongoing engagement
Second day on Future Roadmaps and Mini Activity Development Days (ADD)
The second day of the ERTICO Annual Partnership Forum focused on translating strategic ambitions into practical roadmaps, preparing the ERTICO Partnership for the next cycle of European mobility innovation, shaping future cooperation and aligning efforts with EU policy and funding opportunities.
The opening remarks by Master of Ceremony of the day, Rita Bhandari, Senior Manager, Programme and Knowledge Integration at ERTICO, echoed the Commission’s acknowledgement of how well the ERTICO’s vision complements the EU’s priorities. She the Commission’s trust in ERTICO’s expertise and emphasised the importance of resilience and adaptability amid current geopolitical challenges.
Vlad Vorotovic, Director of Strategy & Innovation, reflected on the evolution of ERTICO’s strategic thinking. From the organisation’s first foresight exercise in 1997 to the launch of its Strategic Vision 2035, Vlad noted the substantial progress made and called on participants to bring together the "pieces of the puzzle" by aligning strategic areas, enablers, and outcomes in a way that delivers impact through the Partnership.
Participants then moved into four focused breakout sessions, each coordinated by a Head from the Innovation & Deployment Department of ERTICO. These gave partners an opportunity to co-develop the next phase of the ERTICO Roadmaps:
Two groups, led respectively by the Heads of Transport for Logistics, Dr Eusebiu Catana and Dr Nikolaos Tsampieris, the discussion focused on connectivity as a key enabler of safety and resilience, on scalability, ease of integration, and cloud-native architecture, envisioning a future where billions of devices communicate seamlessly. Transport and logistics applications are critical for optimising supply chains, improving efficiency, and reducing costs.
The group proposed roadmap directions centred on:
- Extreme connectivity scenarios powered by 6G and satellite infrastructure.
- Resilient digital and physical infrastructure to withstand future shocks.
- Human-centric innovation and dual-use technology strategies are supported by task forces.
- Sustainability & Green Logistics.
- Automation & AI Integration.
- Security & Compliance.
- Data Analytics & Reporting.
The third group on Connected, Cooperative and Automated Mobility (CCAM), led by Dr Stephane Dreher, Head of CCAM, participants addressed three pillars of the outcomes, including safety, efficiency, and human-centricity:
- Proactive safety through seamless V2X communication and data-driven accident prevention.
- Training scenarios for levels two to four of automation.
- Use of digital twins to shorten development cycles and enhance cross-sector collaboration.
- Strengthening citizen engagement in co-creating mobility services.
The final group, led by Dr Tamara Djukic, Head of Green & Urban Mobility, emphasised the universal role of all mobility users and five key priorities:
- Cross-EU data sharing to harmonise safety standards.
- Enhanced infrastructure for micromobility and fleet safety.
- Digital licensing systems and intelligent sensing technologies for real-time data processing.
- Multi-modal resilience as a pillar of sustainability.
- Skill development to support cities in adopting digital twin technologies for decision-making.
In the afternoon, attention turned to the Mini Activity Development Days (ADDs) 2025, where Partners began conceptualising future cooperative projects. This forward-looking segment focused on aligning with the Horizon Europe Work Programme 2025, offering early insights into upcoming funding opportunities and setting the stage for proposals in 2026–27.
Partners discussed potential use cases, deployment scenarios, and enabling technologies, laying the groundwork for project concepts that will feed into the next phase of European research and innovation in transport and mobility.
The day concluded with a strong spirit of collaboration and optimism. With clear outcomes from each breakout session and new ideas emerging from the ADDs, ERTICO reaffirmed its role as a catalyst for impactful, cross-sector innovation, ensuring that the Partnership remains at the forefront of shaping a safer, more resilient, and inclusive future for European mobility.
Looking Ahead
The successful launch of the Partnership Forum underscored the value of its strong cooperation with its partners and the shared ambition to drive innovation and shape a shared agenda of future priorities.
The Partnership Forum, set to become an annual flagship event, will serve as a cornerstone for the Partnership’s continued impact as it navigates the future of sustainable and connected mobility in Europe.
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