Accelerating freight transport and logistics digital innovation

Expected Outcome

The proposals are expected to contribute to all the following outcomes:

• Extended functionalities of electronic Freight Transport Information (eFTI) platforms beyond the required actions forming part of the implementation of Regulation 2020/1056[1] for:
• new use cases, solutions and applications, enabling harmonised electronic business-to-business (B2B) information sharing and exchange in multimodal logistics chains and hubs such as those related to greenhouse gases (GHG) reporting, sustainability claims and other actions leveraging efficient and green freight operations in the supply chain;
• complementary applications and services for electronic business-to-authority (B2A) information sharing aimed to support the implementation by businesses of relevant Union regulatory frameworks in transport or in other relevant policy fields, such as in the context of smart enforcement, statistics, customs, e-invoicing, sustainability reporting, data spaces, GHG and external costs calculators;
• Best practices to boost and accelerate the adoption of eFTI framework and data sharing innovations by companies and in particular by SMEs are established;
• Improved efficiency in operations and freight transport, through the provision of advanced digital connectivity and interoperability of the information shared electronically between actors in both B2B and B2A perspectives, compared to the baseline defined in the start of the project, is demonstrated and quantified;
• Reduced administrative burden and costs associated with B2B data sharing and B2A regulatory and non-regulatory reporting are demonstrated and quantified.

Scope

Electronic Freight Transport Information (eFTI) platforms established in line with Regulation 2020/1056 will play a central role in facilitating the implementation of business-to-authority (B2A) information exchange processes related to multimodal transport of goods. In line with the Regulation’s requirements, common specifications for a single comprehensive data set and harmonised protocols for data sharing will ensure interoperability of the information shared electronically between actors, and the requirements for rights-based access-control system will establish safeguards for cybersecurity and trust. The use of electronic means to exchange regulatory information is also expected to reduce administrative costs for economic operators, to enhance the efficiency of freight transport services and to facilitate green transformation of the logistics sector.

Therefore, given their potential, apart from specific B2A functionalities, eFTI platforms could also serve as an enabler for other universal, open and affordable solutions and tools to achieve digital interconnectivity of logistics systems and platforms including in a business-to-business (B2B) perspective.

The proposals should unlock the potential of eFTI platforms for further functionalities, beyond the scope of Regulation 2020/1056, to new B2B services and applications as well as other B2A uses.

Proposals should refer, as a core principle, to the legislative framework and specific technological solutions provided through Regulation 2020/1056, while duly reflecting the latest technological state of the art for electronic information exchange. Where relevant, and especially in B2B perspective, they should apply and build upon the concepts and solutions developed in other Union initiatives aimed to facilitate data sharing and exchange in transport, the Digital Transport and Logistics Forum (DTLF) and the European mobility data space (EMDS).

Outside the scope of this topic is any type of architecture, federation of platforms or similar, as these are already delivered by eFTI and DTLF. Proposals also should not develop functionalities already required in the current scope of the eFTI Regulation. Instead, they are expected to leverage and/or extend functionalities of eFTI platforms that are in operation at the time of the implementation of the project, to ensure the effective implementation of new use cases.

Building on the functionalities, requirements and implementation specifications for eFTI platforms provided for in the eFTI Regulation and its implementing and delegated acts, the proposals should address all of the following aspects:

• Develop technical solutions and tools, at least at the level of operational prototype demonstration (TRL7), for complementary applications and services for electronic B2A information sharing;
• Develop universal, open and affordable solutions and tools to enable electronic B2B information sharing in collaborative logistics processes. The proposed solutions should be implemented with minimal integration effort for industrial stakeholders, for instance through the usage of Artificial Intelligence to facilitate data and information interoperability.
• Develop solutions and tools to facilitate SMEs engagement in the digital freight transport and logistics ecosystem and the adoption of solutions by SMEs.
• Define multiple use cases, services and application of eFTI platforms for B2B and B2A processes duly accounting of relevant existing solutions and projects and identifying specific barriers to interoperability and universal adoption.
• Identify and define relevant data to be added to the existing eFTI common dataset to support the new use cases, services and functionalities; while addressing aspects of data sovereignty, data privacy and cybersecurity, pursuant to the relevant Union legislation;
• Assess and provide recommendations for B2B framework arrangements, including standard data exchange contracts, identification/authentication and authorisation to ensure trusted operations in data sharing and exchange in freight transport and logistics;
• Define and seek synergies with relevant EU frameworks and policies related to the exchange of transport emissions data (such as new Commission’s proposal for the Regulation on CountEmissions EU[2], the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive[3], and other relevant Union acts) to facilitate their effective and harmonised implementation, including through the establishment of an open source emissions calculators, as well as the exploitation of data sharing frameworks for carbon reporting between operators in the same supply chain;
• Assess the interdependencies and needs with horizontal Union strategies and legislation such as GDPR[4], digital identities[5], data spaces[6], AI act[7], Data Governance Act[8], Cybersecurity Act[9]; identify best practices and provide recommendations for compliance.
• Define and test B2A and B2B solutions and use cases in at least 2 demonstration environments/ecosystems involving platforms and users. B2B use cases should be led by industry stakeholders, in particular shippers and logistics service providers (e.g. freight forwarders, transportation companies). B2A use cases should be developed in cooperation with industry stakeholders, researchers and public administrations, including statistical offices.
• Identify and develop best practices, map solutions and value streams. Provide recommendations on incentives, capability building, training and technology adoption support schemes as well as trust building mechanisms - to facilitate, encourage and accelerate the adoption of eFTI platforms and data sharing and exchange innovations by companies and in particular by SMEs.

Activities are expected to achieve TRL 7-8 by the end of the project - see General Annex B. Activities may start at any TRL.

[1] Regulation (EU) 2020/1056 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 July 2020 on electronic freight transport information; https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2020/1056/oj.

[2] Proposal for a REGULATION OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL on the accounting of greenhouse gas emissions of transport services (Text with EEA relevance); https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=celex%3A52023PC0441

[3] Directive (EU) 2022/2464 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 14 December 2022 amending Regulation (EU) No 537/2014, Directive 2004/109/EC, Directive 2006/43/EC and Directive 2013/34/EU, as regards corporate sustainability reporting (Text with EEA relevance); https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32022L2464

[4] Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 April 2016 on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data, and repealing Directive 95/46/EC (General Data Protection Regulation); https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2016/679/oj

[5] Regulation (EU) 2024/1183 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 April 2024 amending Regulation (EU) No 910/2014 as regards establishing the European Digital Identity Framework; https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2024/1183/oj

[6] https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/policies/data-spaces

[7] Regulation (EU) 2024/1689 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 June 2024 laying down harmonised rules on artificial intelligence and amending Regulations (EC) No 300/2008, (EU) No 167/2013, (EU) No 168/2013, (EU) 2018/858, (EU) 2018/1139 and (EU) 2019/2144 and Directives 2014/90/EU, (EU) 2016/797 and (EU) 2020/1828 (Artificial Intelligence Act) (Text with EEA relevance); https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2024/1689/oj

[8] Regulation (EU) 2022/868 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 30 May 2022 on European data governance and amending Regulation (EU) 2018/1724 (Data Governance Act) (Text with EEA relevance); https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=celex%3A32022R0868

[9] Regulation (EU) 2019/881 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 April 2019 on ENISA (the European Union Agency for Cybersecurity) and on information and communications technology cybersecurity certification and repealing Regulation (EU) No 526/2013 (Cybersecurity Act) (Text with EEA relevance); https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=celex%3A32019R0881