Preliminary assessment of the second payment request of Romania

n of the National Strategy on Road Safety for the period 2022-2030, published in the Official Journal No. 535 on 31 May 2022 (Hotărâre pentru aprobarea Strategiei naționale privind siguranța rutieră pentru perioada 2022— 2030), hereinafter referred to as “Government Decision No. 682”. iii) Annex to the Government Decision No. 682 comprising the National Strategy on Road Safety for the period 2022-2030 (hereinafter referred to as the “National Strategy on Road Safety”), the Action plan for the implementation of the National Strategy on Road Safety , and the Priority national programme for implementation of the National Road Safety Strategy 2022-2024, published in the Official Journal No. 535on 31 May 2022 (Anexa la Hotărârea Guvernului nr. 682/2022 pentru aprobarea Strategiei naționale privind siguranța rutieră pentru perioada 2022—2030). iv) Government Decision No 144 amending Annex 1 and 2 of the National Strategy on Road Safety for the period 2022-2030 approved by the Government Decision No. 682, published in the Official Journal No. 157 bis on 23 February 2023, hereinafter referred to as the “ Action plan ” (Anexele nr. 1 și 2 la Hotărârea Guvernului nr. 144/2023 pentru modificarea 6  anexelor nr. 1 și 2 la Strategia națională privind siguranța rutieră pentru perioada 2022— 2030, aprobată prin Hotărârea Guvernului nr. 682/2022). v) Government Decision No. 1086 on the adoption of the National Intelligent Transport Systems Strategy, published in the Official Journal No. 867on 2 September 2022 (Hotărâre pentru aprobarea Strategiei naționale privind sistemele de transport inteligente pentru perioada 2022—2030), hereinafter referred to as “Government Decision No. 1082”. vi) Annex to the Government Decision No. 1082 comprising of the National Intelligent Transport Systems Strategy, published in the Official Journal No. 867on 2 September 2022 (Anexa la Hotărârea Guvernului nr. 1.086/2022 pentru aprobarea Strategiei naționale privind sistemele de transport inteligente pentru perioada 2022—2030), hereinafter referred to as the “National ITS Strategy”. The authorities also provided: vii) Explanations provided during informal exchanges related to milestone #65 by the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure. Informal explanatory note, 10 December 2022. viii) Consolidated report on Road Safety Investment Program in Romania of 4 April 2021, addressed to CNAIR (National company for administering road infrastructure) and the European Investment Bank. ix) List of 46 hotspots registered between 2015 and 2019 on the national road network and motorways, which are part of a road safety project financed by the European Investment Bank. 10 December 2022. x) List of a total of 221 hotspots registered in the period 2015-2019 on the network of national roads and highways. 10 December 2022. Analysis: The justification and substantiating evidence provided by the Romanian authorities covers all constitutive elements of the milestone. The National Road Safety Strategy 2021-2030 shall implement EU rules and guidelines as set out in the EU Road Safety Policy Framework 2021-2030 and the “Vision Zero”, with the objective to reduce the number of road fatalities by 2050 to close to zero. The National Strategy on Road Safety was approved by Government Decision No. 682, which was published in the Official Journal No. 535 on 31 May 2022. The Commission considers that there is a clerical error in the text of the Council Implementing Decision as regards the description of milestone #65 and has undertaken the assessment on a revised basis. In that decision, the Strategy is described as “the National Road Safety Strategy 2021- 2030” However, given that the indicative timeline for completion is Q2/2022 and, by definition, a strategy is a forward-looking document and does not cover periods prior to its adoption, the latter date of 2022 is the one considered relevant for the assessment. The National Strategy on Road Safety (on page 6) restates the key objectives of the EU Road Safety Policy Framework 2021-2030. In particular, it states that: “The vision of this strategy is the Vision Zero through the implementation of the “Safe System”. The Vision Zero mindset and the safe system approach are the two central elements of the EU Road Safety Policy Framework 2021-2030 as stated in the EU Road Safety Policy Framework 2021-2030 SWD(2019) 283 final. The objective to reduce the number of road fatalities by 2050 to close to zero is to be implemented by aiming for an intermediate target of 50% reduction of fatalities and serious injuries in road accidents by 2030, in 7 line with the intermediate target in the EU Road Safety Policy Framework 2021-2030. The “safe system” approach involves safe infrastructure, safe vehicles, and safe road use. As set out by the National Strategy on Road Safety, the main elements forming the safe system, adapted to the road dynamics in Romania are road safety management, safe road use, vehicle safety, safety of infrastructure, and emergency response (pp. 21 – 26). These five priorities are then developed in an Action plan for the implementation of the National Strategy on Road Safety with detailed objectives, actions, responsible institutions, timelines, and sources of funding. These actions are further specified in the Priority national programme for implementation of the National Road Safety Strategy 2022-2024, which includes stages towards completing the actions and estimated sources of resources needed for those actions planned to take place between 2022 and 2024. As an intermediate target, Romania is taking on the EU target of reducing the number of victims (deaths and serious injured) by 50% from 2019 baseline to 2030. The National Strategy on Road Safety states on page 18 that “the overall objective of the National Road Safety Strategy is to reduce the number of fatalities and the number of people seriously injured as a result of road accidents by 50% by 2030 compared to 2019 .” The strategy shall be addressed in an integrated and multidisciplinary way to all actors involved in road safety Section 6 – Lines of Action – of the National Strategy on Road Safety defines the main elements that will be implemented for road safety, namely better coordination of actions, road education, the implementation of automated technical systems, vehicle safety, safety of infrastructure, interventions in emergency situations. To ensure an integrated approach to road safety, the Inter- ministerial Road Safety Council will play a key role in proactively involving road safety actors, such as the private sector, academia, civil society, and local government representatives, on a per-topic basis. The strategy shall include: - enforcement of the rules governing compliance, higher penalties for breaches of the law, The National Strategy on Road Safety includes among its objectives the “continuous improvement of transport and road safety legislation and enforcement”, as well as “making the detection of infringements of road traffic rules more effective by implementing automated technical systems for detecting, processing and sanctioning infringements” and “the use of technology for prevention, monitoring and intervention” (page 18). This is underpinned by planned investment in speed limiters, mobile radars and video cameras (page 30). The Action plan included in the National Strategy on Road Safety provides for the modernisation of the legislative framework in the field of road safety, including by supplementing legislation to cover combatting “bullying by drivers” (item 2). This section in the amended Action plan further includes a commitment to introduce “higher penalties for breaches of the law”, which is to be achieved through “drafting of a legislative act introducing new infringements and increasing penalties for existing ones”. It further envisages that road infringements will be made more effective through the operationalisation of automated systems for detection and sanctioning (item 2). This is supplemented by actions to improve digital exchange of information, which should lead to making control and inspection activities more efficient according to the Strategy (item 2). Additionally, for the period 2022-2024, the Action plan specifically envisages to step up actions relating to checks for speed, prioritisation, alcohol/drug consumption, and others. - reduction of speed limits in specific areas or roads depending on accidents data/risk analysis and best practices at EU level, 8 The Action plan included in the National Strategy on Road Safety (as amended) includes a commitment to “Lowering speed limits in certain areas or roads depending on accident data/risk analysis and best practices at EU level” (item 4). In addition, the Action plan includes an objective pertaining to the data/risk analysis of road safety performance indicators, including the number of fatalities and seriously injured people, as well as other key performance indicators (item 2). - introduction of speed management system and mandatory safety features, Section 6 – Lines of Action – of the National Strategy on Road Safety includes a commitment on “the implementation and exploitation of automated technical systems for detecting, processing and sanctioning deviations, i.e. automated traffic management systems” (page 22). The introduction of this system is expected to allow for speed management by “video monitoring of traffic in order to allow rapid intervention by emergency crews”. In terms of mandatory safety features, the National Strategy on Road Safety also includes safety measures both to ensure vehicle safety (page 23) and safety of infrastructure (pages 24-25), such as the introduction of technological solutions, the set-up of research laboratories, the implementation of 2+1 traffic system, and the maintenance of ‘legible infrastructure’. - revision of traffic rules including priority for vulnerable users, The amended Action Plan included in the National Strategy on Road Safety includes a commitment to “Review of traffic rules as a matter of priority for vulnerable users" (item 2), which is further detailed to include a draft legislative act based on analysis of the legislative framework to change traffic rules with priority for vulnerable users. - reduction of black/hot spots in both urban and inter-urban environments, including a specific investment action plan to reduce the number of black/hot spots by 129 by Q2- 2026 compared to the initial 267 black/hot spots in 2021, The National Strategy on Road Safety lists among its objectives the reduction of black spots in urban and inter-urban environments, stating that the number of black points/hotspots is expected to be reduced by 129 by 2026, compared to the initial 267 in 2021, as required by the CID. The number of hotspots was identified by research by the EIB between 2015 and 2019 and there have been no further update of the numbers until 2021 (page 19); at the same time, no actions to reduce hotpots have been undertaken so far. This is complemented with an investment action plan identifying which blackspots will be addressed via financing from the European Investment Bank, funding under other measures in the Recovery and Resilience Plan or relevant programmes (page 31). The identification of blackspots and possible solutions are also envisaged in the Action plan included in the National Strategy on Road Safety (item 4). - phasing out from the national register of old/deficient vehicles, increased safety inspections and checks, The National Strategy on Road Safety includes among its objectives scrapping at least 250 000 polluting vehicles older than 15 years between 2022 and mid-2026 (page 18), and among its action lines increasing safety and checks of vehicles (page 23). The Action plan included in the National Strategy on Road Safety also includes specific measures to strengthen safety inspections and checks (item 3, pages 51-53). - education and training, information campaigns, The National Strategy on Road Safety includes among its action lines school level education, possible prerequisites for driving tests, and rehabilitation courses for offenders (page 21). The Action plan included in the National Strategy on Road Safety also includes specific measures on school education, road education, driver training, driving licence tests, as well as road risk 9 awareness campaigns (item 2, page 39-45).  integration of the legislative system and reform of the Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS). The National Strategy on Road Safety integrates the legislative system and reform of the Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) by taking into account the objectives and actions set out in the National Strategy for the Implementation of ITS (p. 15) and also aligns measures under the section “Safety of infrastructure” with the development of ITS (p. 25). Development of ITS is also integrated in the National Strategy on Road Safety through actions to develop ITS in its Action Plan (item 2).  A strategic document for Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) shall be approved by the Romanian government. The ITS strategy shall be developed in conjunction with intermodal transport policies to serve the needs for efficient operation in multimodal nodes, The National Intelligent Transport Systems Strategy was adopted with the Government Decision No. 1082, published in the Official Journal No. 867 on 2 September 2022. The strategy aims “to provide the institutional and legislative framework for the development and deployment of the best intelligent transport systems solutions” (page 10). The new strategy builds on the already existing Intelligent Transport Systems framework in Romania. The National Intelligent Transport Systems Strategy lists multimodal integration among its objectives (pages 29 and 32). Its chapter on “Integration, interoperability and autonomous vehicles” provides for multimodal integration and the provision of multimodal services for passenger and freight transport. The entity responsible for the monitoring of the Road safety strategy implementation and the Key Performance Indicators shall be clearly defined and operationalised. The National Strategy on Road Safety states that the overall coordination for its implementation lies with the Inter-Ministerial Road Safety Council (page 21). This is confirmed in the specific monitoring arrangements set out on page 36. The specific responsible entities are then specified for each different action in the Action plan included in the National Strategy on Road Safety. Furthermore, Sections 7 and 8 of the Strategy also list the expected results and key performance indicators (page 26-27). The key performance indicators are then specified for each different action in the Action plan included in the National Strategy on Road Safety. In line with the description of the measure, the National Road Safety Strategy shall include: Safety inspection: the technical assessment to determine road safety shall be optimised; implementation and development of the work of technical expertise on motor vehicles; setting up research and expert laboratories covering methodologies for monitoring, inspection and testing of vehicles throughout their lifetime; The National Strategy on Road Safety states that “the technical and scientific findings on vehicles to determine the degree of road safety will be optimised” and includes additional assessment of used vehicles involved in events, access to in-vehicle data to determine who is responsible in the event of an accident, and collection of anonymised data on safety performance (p. 23). It further includes a commitment for the technical authority in the field to implement and develop technical expertise on motor vehicles and support automotive technical and scientific findings (p. 23). Finally, it includes “setting up research laboratories … covering methodologies for monitoring, inspecting, and testing vehicles throughout their lifetime” (p. 23). The Action Plan included in the National Strategy on Road Safety further specifies these measures with more details on sub-actions, timeline, and actors (item 3). 10 Development of databases on road safety features at testing stations and vehicle repair units; development of the methodology for data collection and the primary data collection base for the analysis of key road safety performance indicators; The National Road Safety Strategy states that technical findings on road safety will be improved “by developing compatible databases on road safety features at inspection stations and vehicle repair stations” (p. 23). It also includes in section 8 – Indicators a list of key performance indicators to measure progress in road safety, which will serve for primary data collection base. With regards to the methodology, it specifies that “The methodology for data collection, processing and reporting will be developed in line with the set of mandatory requirements set out in the EU Road Safety Policy Framework 2021-2030”. The Action plan included in the National Road Safety Strategy includes as an objective the “continuous analysis of road safety indicators”, which includes the continuous assessment of key performance indicators and improvement of data collection methodology (line 2). Commission Preliminary Assessment: Satisfactorily fulfilled.