Brussels, 29/11/2010 (Agence Europe) - After more than two years of discussions, the transport ministers of the EU27 are close to an agreement on the draft directive aiming to make it easier to pursue driving offences committed in a member state by non-resident drivers. The text may be approved on Thursday 2 December, at the ministers' next meeting. The compromise on the negotiating table provides for a change of the legal base of the text, to move from cooperation in transport matters (Article 91.1.c of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU) to police cooperation (Article 87.2 of the Treaty). The list of offences which may be covered by the directive has been doubled, adding to the four offences originally covered (failure to wear a seatbelt, speeding, running red lights and drink-driving) driving under the influence of drugs, failure to wear a safety helmet, using a mobile telephone and driving in a reserved traffic lane. The modified draft directive will oblige all member states to notify, by request of the state in which the offence was committed, information about the owner of the vehicle and the vehicle itself. The state in which the offence was committed will be responsible for carrying out the punishment in line with the legislation in force. In order to seal an agreement, the Council will have to tackle the issue of the British and Irish “opt-out” and appease German fears regarding risks of driver non-identification. (A.By/transl.fl).