Information exchange among vehicles, and between vehicles and the roadside infrastructure is commonly regarded as a base technology to sustainably reduce road accidents and improve traffic efficiency. After more than a decade of research and development efforts, a technological basis has been established that applies WiFibased, wireless communication in the 5.9 GHz frequency band, ad hoc communication and dedicated message sets, as well as management and security procedures. In Europe, Release 1 of standards for cooperative systems has been completed, indicating deployment of a basic system starting in 2015. This article provides a comprehensive overview of standards and complementary industry specifications for cooperative systems in Europe, covering relevant aspects of access technologies, network and transport protocols, facilities, applications, security, and management.