Brussels, 06/03/2013 (Agence Europe) - The European Commission is not ruling out the idea of standardising the systems of driving licences. MEP Michel Dantin (EPP, France) would like a points-based driving licence system to be rolled out across Europe, to better meet the requirements of road safety.
He has written to the European Commissioner for Transport, Siim Kallas, on this issue, calling on him to “look into the possibility of presenting a legislative proposal in the next few years, aiming to bring in a driving licence harmonised at European level, which would include, amongst other things, standard conditions for withdrawing a licence”. In late February, the Commissioner said that “with a view to the longer-term evolution of the driving licence, the Commission will make sure that it includes in its reflection the possibility of setting in place standard criteria for withdrawing driving licences”. This was of some reassurance to the MEP, who pointed out that between 25% and 50% of road infringements in France are committed by foreign drivers. “In some countries, penalty points driving licences do not exist or are less strict than in France, which does not provide drivers from other member states with any incentive to observe French law and France's road safety priorities. Standardising the single driving licence by bringing in an effective and ambitious points-based system at European level would help to meet this aim”. Dantin also said that this would be the next step from last January's transition to the single driving licence format in Europe (our translation throughout). (MD/transl.fl)