Negotiators from the European Parliament and the Council of the EU have been meeting at length for a fourth time on the evening of Monday 24 March in an attempt to bring discussions on the revision of the Driving Licence Directive to a successful conclusion (see EUROPE 13549/8).
According to a European source contacted by Agence Europe ahead of the meeting, although there has been a great deal of progress on the technical front, they will be tackling a number of more political issues: - probationary period for young drivers; - minimum age for obtaining a licence; - accompanied driving; - period of validity of the licence; - medical checks.
Regarding the length of probation, a parliamentary source also contacted by Agence Europe said that negotiations could lead to a minimum period of two years, which could be extended, if Member States so decide, with stricter rules and/or penalties for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, which Member States can extend to all drivers. Contrary to what the European Parliament wanted, there would be no single blood alcohol limit in the EU. There would also be stricter rules on the non-use of safety equipment.
With regard to the minimum age for obtaining a driving licence, the European source revealed that Sweden had insisted on allowing an exemption for a B licence from the age of 17. The country allows young people from the age of 15 to drive cars limited to 30 km/h, known as ‘A-traktor’. The age for professional drivers would be lowered to 18 for category C vehicles, i.e. HGVs, and 21 for category D vehicles, which include buses and coaches. The EPP parliamentary group wants to call on the European Commission to carry out an impact study on the minimum age for professional drivers in order to lower the ages even further and thus remedy the shortage of drivers.
This reduction in the minimum age would be coupled with a mandatory European accompanied driving scheme for category B and a voluntary scheme for category C. According to the parliamentary source, any mandatory scheme for professional drivers is a red line for many southern Member States. “The situation would be different if Germany were not opposed to the dossier”, the source said.
Finally, “the European Parliament will try to defend its mandate on medical checks, but it is almost impossible”, the same source stressed. According to this source, it is highly unlikely that any provisions can be made in this area. The European Parliament will therefore fight for national systems.
For this European source, if the negotiations are successful, those on licence forfeiture, which are linked, could also be successful. The road safety package will then be adopted in its entirety. (Original version in French by Anne Damiani)