Ten years after the Declaration of Amsterdam set out a shared European vision for automated driving, this session reflects on what has been achieved — and what still lies ahead.
Christian Merkt (BMW), Edwin Nas (RDW), Ahmed Hashish (Dutch Automated Driving), Christian Willoch (Ruter) and Billy Riggs (University of San Francisco) will discuss how policy ambitions have translated into real-world deployment, from industry and regulation to public transport and pilots. Together, they will explore whether Europe is on track to deliver safe, scalable automated driving — and what is needed in the next decade to turn promise into everyday reality.
Christian Willoch is an experienced tech and mobility leader at Ruter, the public transport authority for the Oslo region. With over 30 years in digital transformation and innovation across public transport and IT, he focuses on developing demand-responsive and autonomous shared transport services.
Edwin Nas is senior strategic advisor for Connected Automated Vehicles at The Netherlands Vehicle Authority - RDW and the deputy head of department. He has more than 25 years of experience in the public sector and over a decade in the heart of policy making for Automated Vehicles. He has been working as dep. policy lead for CAV in the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management and in this position involved in the making of the Declaration of Amsterdam.
Edwin is an active member of the European CCAM-Platform, former rapporteur for Connected Automated Vehicles to the European Commission (GEAR 2030 High Level group) and former member of UNECE WP1 and has a large network in this field of work.
I have been involved in automated driving and automated public transport since 2018, mainly focusing on getting the wheels on the road and getting approval for that by the local road authorities and national authorities. Next to that, my focus lies in operations and business development. Interested in how to operate automated buses for public transport? Please reach out!
At Dutch Automated Mobility we focus on operating automated public transport services by implementing full-sized automated buses. Together with our partners HTM, Rebel and RET, we take this step by step, looking at the business case, value case, technical feasibility, and operational needs. We have successfully deployed a bus service at Rotterdam-The Hague Airport.
William (Billy) Riggs, Ph.D., AICP, LEED AP, is a professor at the University of San Francisco and Director of the Autonomous Vehicles & the City Initiative. A global expert on urban technology, future mobility, and sustainable design, he is driven by a vision to shape the built environment for good. His work bridges academia, government, and industry, spanning autonomous vehicle research with Waymo and Cruise, sustainable community planning with at the Coast Guard, UC Berkeley and ARUP, and large-scale mobility projects across Europe.
Riggs has authored more than 100 publications and three books, including End of the Road: Reimagining the Street as the Heart of the City. His research and commentary have been featured in The Economist, Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, PBS, and others. Alongside his academic role, he advises startups, funds, and design ventures focused on ESG and sustainable infrastructure, and he is the founder of the blockchain community development non-profit SFLuv and sits on the Transportation Research Board Committee on Roadside Landscape and Environmental Design, Operations and Maintenance.
Tom Alkim is Strategic Advisor for Connected & Automated Mobility at MAPtm, a Dutch company specializing in intelligent transport systems with consultancy, digital and operational services. With 25 years of experience in the public sector, Tom has played a leading role in advancing dynamic traffic management, cooperative ITS, and connected & automated Mobility. His career includes long-standing contributions at Rijkswaterstaat, the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure & Water Management, and the European Commission’s Directorate General for Research & Innovation.
During the Dutch EU presidency in 2016, Tom was a core team member behind two landmark initiatives: the Declaration of Amsterdam and the European Truck Platooning Challenge, both of which helped set the stage for Europe’s connected and automated mobility future.
Tom is actively engaged in international collaboration and thought leadership. He serves as the CCAM Partnership delegate for Physical & Digital Infrastructure, chairs the International Taskforce on Vehicle-Highway Automation (ITFVHA), co-chairs the IRF Connected and Autonomous Mobility Committee (CAMC) and sits on the International Advisory Board of Intertraffic. His current work spans several National and European research and innovation initiatives. Through these roles, Tom continues to shape the future of responsible, connected & automated mobility in Europe and beyond.
