The Chamber's Mobility Committee examined on Tuesday Les Engagés' proposed resolution aimed at preparing Belgium for the deployment of connected vehicles with automated driving.
The MR group welcomes this initiative, which brings back onto the agenda a major issue for the future of our mobility, our road safety and our technological competitiveness.
For MR federal MP Gilles Foret, this debate is part of the continuity of work begun several years ago in Parliament.
“Belgium is not discovering the topic of autonomous vehicles today. As early as 2016, we had already raised this debate in Parliament, notably through a proposed resolution on launching pilot projects for automated motor vehicles, which I co-signed. The goal was already clear: to anticipate the arrival of these technologies, regulate testing, protect citizens and prevent our country from suffering innovation instead of organising it.”
The work carried out at the time had already identified the major issues that remain fully relevant today: adapting the legal framework, pilot projects, liability in the event of accidents, privacy protection, coordination with the Regions, European harmonisation and parliamentary follow-up.
The proposal currently under discussion usefully updates these concerns by incorporating the new challenges related to cybersecurity, technological sovereignty, social acceptance and the place of autonomous mobility within a sustainable mobility strategy.
“The text examined today is heading in the right direction. It continues work that was already under way and reminds us that we now need to move to a more operational phase. The issue is not about pitting innovation against caution, but about building a clear, secure framework that is useful for citizens.”
For the MR, Belgium must position itself actively in this field. Connected and automated vehicles can help improve road safety, support research, strengthen certain mobility services, facilitate logistics and offer new solutions in less well-served areas. But their development must be regulated.
“We want to support innovation, but without improvisation. The Highway Code will need to be adapted, liability in the event of accidents clarified, citizens' control over data guaranteed, cybersecurity strengthened, and care taken to ensure these vehicles are complementary to public transport, not competitors.”
The MR is therefore calling for a rigorous method: assess what has already been achieved following previous parliamentary work, seek useful opinions: Federal Public Service Mobility, Regions, Vias, Minister of Mobility and, if necessary, the Federal Planning Bureau, sectoral federations, the Data Protection Authority, and build a concrete framework for the coming years.
“Autonomous mobility must not be a technological gadget. It must be thought of as a tool serving road safety, accessibility, intermodality and our country's competitiveness. The MR therefore supports the progress of this text in a constructive spirit, with a clear requirement: by 2026, policy orientations must be turned into effective decisions.”
The MR group will continue to advocate for innovative, responsible mobility that protects citizens, so that Belgium remains a full player in major European technological developments.