Brussels, 10/12/2015 (Agence Europe) - The European Commission decided to refer Austria, Finland, Germany and Poland to the Court of Justice of the European Union for failing to correctly transpose European rules on driving licences (Directive 2006/126/EC).
Germany, Finland and Poland have, inter alia, failed to issue licences with the required validity periods or to correctly define certain driving licence categories, the Commission says. In some cases, Austria and Germany have also given incorrect driving rights to holders of certain heavy goods vehicle or bus licences. Furthermore, Poland has not correctly transposed the rules on normal residence, in particular with regard to persons who live successively in different member states.
The Commission also referred Finland to the Court for failing to connect to the EU driving licences network (RESPER). This network helps member states cooperate with one other and ensure that driving licences are issued in accordance with EU rules. The exchange of information through RESPER should have started on 19 January 2013, under the terms of Directive 2006/126/EC.
The Commission opened the infringement proceedings against the four member states in July 2014. A few months later, in February 2015, having noted that no corrective action had been taken and acting as guardian of the treaties, it sent a reasoned opinion to the member states concerned. As it stands today, these four member states have still failed to comply with European law. The Commission has, therefore, referred the cases to the Court. (Original version in French by Pascal Hansens)