Case:Eucaris: European Standardisation in Car-registires (description)
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Finding a stolen car requires European data exchange
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Introduction
EUCARIS is a communications network which allows participating countries to exchange data relating to motor vehicles and driving licences. It is not a central system where data can be stored and subsequently retrieved. EUCARIS allows you to consult on-line motor vehicle and driving licence data kept in the national registers of countries affiliated to EUCARIS. Hans Verbrugge is the Dutch change agent who worked on the European dimension of EUCARIS for some time from his office at the Dutch RDW.
Context
Short history Five European countries took the initiative to set up a network for data communication. A group of people working in The Netherlands 'Department of Road Transport' (RDW) and the IT-company Unisys envisaged a system that would give European countries the opportunity to share vehicle and driver registration information. The system the RDW envisaged is now a reality as EUCARIS - the European Car and Driving Licence Information System. Since 1994 it has been operational. The next countries were connected:
- 1994 - Belgium, The Netherlands and Luxembourg
- 1995 - United Kingdom
- 1996 - Czech Republic (suspended since 1999)
- 1997 - Latvia
- 1998 - Hungary, Northern Ireland, the Channel Islands (Guernsey, Jersey), the Isle of Man and Gibraltar
- 2000 - Germany, Iceland and Ireland
- 2001 - Sweden and Romania
- 2002 - Estonia and Lithuania.
Expected connections in 2003 are Italy, Greece, Switzerland and Curacao (NL). Finland and Norway are making, mostly juridical, preparations for connecting. Information is given to and in some cases deliberations have been with France, Bulgaria, USA, Poland, Slovakia, New Zealand, Portugal, Spain, Austria and Albania.
Change agent role
The Change agent involved acted as deputy head of the Dutch RDW.
Triggering event
The triggering event for the EUCARIS initiative had been the loss of stolen cars when they were sent abroad with increasing speed. Vehicles reported missing had to be entered in a database that was accesable for the entire EU-community.
Organizational situation
- political situation
Political challenge Surprisingly, even though EUCARIS is interconnecting multiple countries and accessing varying types of back-end data, the challenges of bringing the system on-line have been more juridical and political than technical. Because countries using EUCARIS must make their vehicle or driving-licence registration data accessible to outside parties, adaptation of national legislation could be required to facilitate the exchange of personal information. Since there is the multilateral treaty the easiest way to start participation is to access to this treaty. As a start or when signing of the international treaty is not (yet) possible, bilateral agreements (for the time being) with an other EUCARIS participant to exchange vehicle and/or driving licence information is an option. Due to political considerations this process can be lengthy.
Technological invironment
- Proces description
More About Process in Practice
If the vehicle is not found in the register of the country from where the applicant says it is coming from, you immediately know there is something wrong. When you establish that the vehicle is mala fide, you turn down the application and start an investigation yourself or by calling in for example the police, customs, etc. Legalising stolen vehicles Suppose a car has been stolen in England and offered for registration in Belgium. If the British register is not checked, no one will know that the car is stolen. The car will be registered in Belgium and laundered without a problem. EUCARIS can prevent the legalisation of stolen vehicles. Misuse of car insurance An enterprising thief could buy a car in the Netherlands, register it again in Belgium and Luxembourg, and then head west through France to England, registering and insuring the car in each country visited. When the car is reported stolen, the owner could collect insurance money for the same car in five different countries. EUCARIS helps prevent insurance fraud by checking first in the country of origin before re-registering in the new country
Related case study analyses
Related challenges
- The challenge of standardisation
- The challenge of International collaboration
- The challenge of semantic harmonisation
