The European Parliament adopted its negotiating position on the revision of the Driving Licence Directive (see EUROPE 13310/13) at its plenary session in Strasbourg on Wednesday 28 February, with 339 votes in favour, 240 against and 37 abstentions. The majority of MEPs in the EPP, ECR and ID groups rejected this text.
The rapporteur for the EPP, Poland’s Elżbieta Łukacijewska, explained that her group had “concerns over provisions that could hinder mobility and burden citizens”. “We are disappointed that the parliamentary left aligned themselves with the populist rhetoric of the Greens, who exploit any chance to impose further challenges on driving a car”, she said.
“Our dedication to safer roads is unwavering, prioritising empowerment over unfair penalisation of older drivers or limiting opportunities for younger drivers”, she said. “Driving is more than transportation; it’s about empowerment and fostering a safer future for all”, she added.
The ID MEPs, apart from the Italian delegation and the Spanish ECR delegation, jointly tabled an amendment to reject the proposal. During the debate the previous day, Jean-Paul Garraud (ID, French) criticised the text for containing “unfounded, discriminatory, freedom-destroying measures that are very costly for our fellow citizens, who are already being squeezed by multiple taxes and levies”.
“As soon as this report appeared, certain groups, including the EPP, went on a crusade using fake news and fallacious arguments”, replied the text’s rapporteur, Karima Delli (Greens/EFA, French), at a press conference after the vote. She also condemned the extreme right, and in particular the French delegation, for “turning this issue into an anti-European project”. “Faced with a Europe that offers protection, some people prefer a Europe that is stunted and does not respond to the priority, which is road safety”, she said.
An appeal to the Member States
Amendment 98, which proposed a compulsory medical examination when a licence is issued or renewed, was rejected by 270 votes to 323, with 20 abstentions. However, the report calls on the Member States to introduce such a measure, which already exists in 14 of them.
Pauline Déroulède, a French disabled tennis player who is taking part in the campaign in favour of medical check-ups for drivers, deplored “a cruel lack of political courage” at a press conference.
“The rejection of a medical examination every 15 years when renewing a driving licence is a real disappointment, a missed opportunity. We had the power to do more and better for road safety, to save lives”, lamented Dominique Riquet (Renew Europe, French). “The right and the far right will have to take responsibility”, he added.
No tractor licence
The amendment introducing a tractor licence (T licence) was also rejected. This amendment, introduced by the EPP members of the Committee on Transport and Tourism, was included in the draft report following the vote in committee. But the proposal was eventually abandoned in the face of the farmers’ crisis (see EUROPE 13359/15).
“The Macronist representatives defended the introduction of a tractor licence in parliamentary committee, only to back down in plenary. This u-turn is welcome, but it says a lot about the weight of media pressure on their decision”, criticised French EPP MEPs François-Xavier Bellamy and Brice Hortefeux following the vote.
For its part, the EU Council adopted its negotiating position in December (see EUROPE 13306/3). But negotiations between the two institutions will not begin until after the European elections.
To read the final report, go to https://aeur.eu/f/b2d (Original version in French by Anne Damiani)