That is true, although the whole process has been quite fragmented. I suspect that in many cases (hopefully, not all) the motive behind those inquiries is taxation.

And at the same time, Europe is rolling out eCall, which will make it mandatory for all new vehicles starting next April to have a dedicated system for emergency calls that logs GPS data and that has access to speaker and mic.

Car owners can, in alternative to the basic factory install, choose proprietary systems that may or may not share data with 3rd parties.

Addressing public concerns about privacy, the EU told us not to be concerned, because in EU's opinion this is completely safe.

So imho the EU's position on this is schizophrenic at best.