Revision of the directive on driving licences

Background

The new European Commission's proposal for a Driving Licence Directive builds on the objectives of the previous Directive 2006/126/EC – to improve road safety and facilitate the free movement. The proposal also contributes to providing access to safe, affordable, accessible and sustainable transport systems for all. It gives special attention to the road safety needs of all groups of society, notably vulnerable road users like pedestrians, cyclists, users of powered two-wheeled vehicles, users of personal mobility devices and persons with disabilities or reduced mobility and orientation.

By including new rules on automatic gear transmission and by increasing the maximum mass of most of the zero-emission vehicles in category B, the proposal will facilitate the uptake of such vehicles, thus contributing to the European Green Deal's zero pollution ambition of having an environment free of harmful pollution by 2050.

In addition, the proposal envisages the introduction of digital driving licences.

Finally, under the current legal framework, the sanction of driving disqualification cannot be granted a Union-wide effect where the offence is committed in a Member State other than the one which issued the driving licence. The Directive therefore aims to establish a system for applying EU-wide driving disqualifications for road traffic offences that most contribute to road traffic accidents and fatalities.

Key points

• The objective of providing European Union drivers with a digital driving licence also aims to put an end to differences and bureaucratic delays between the various Member States in processing applications from foreign drivers for exchanging foreign licences, which lead to obstacles to freedom of movement. This driving licence will be held on a mobile phone or any other digital device. The EESC supports this objective, but hopes that paper-based driving licences will remain available to drivers who wish them. Furthermore, for reasons related to the digital inclusion of all age groups, the EESC recommends personalised and free training and coaching on using new digital driving licences.

• The EESC takes note of the opportunity to allow young people to drive lorries accompanied from the age of 17. It also stresses the need to adapt the vocational training of lorry drivers and to improve working conditions and wages in order to make the job more attractive. It calls on the Commission to encourage employers to improve the situation by all means possible, such as strengthening training or raising awareness in the Member States.

• The EESC would like the proposal for a directive on driving disqualifications to offer better safeguards against the risk of overlap with the area of cooperation in criminal matters. Indeed, the exchange of information on offences committed by drivers envisaged in the proposal is based on Article 91(1)(c) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) concerning the common transport policy, whereas the planned exchange of information between national authorities seems to relate more to criminal offences covered by the principles of police cooperation as laid down in Article 87 TFEU and judicial cooperation in criminal matters as laid down in Article 82 TFEU.

Additional information

Section: Transport, Energy, Infrastructure and the Information Society (TEN)

Opinion number: TEN/807

Opinion type: Mandatory

Referral: COM(2023) 127 final 2023/0053 COD COM(2023) 127 final 2023/0053 COD COM(2023) 128 final 2023/0055 COD

Rapporteur: Philippe Charry (Workers – Group II / France)

Date of adoption by section: 16 May 2023

Result of the vote: 52 in favour, 0 against, 1 abstention

Date of adoption in plenary: 14-15 June 2023

Result of the vote: 210 in favour, 1 against, 2 abstentions

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