On Wednesday 8 April, European Parliament’s Committee on Transport and Tourism (TRAN) adopted its negotiating position on one of the two texts in the roadworthiness package.
The draft ‘Danielsson’ report on vehicle registration documents, a largely consensual dossier (see EUROPE 13815/29), was adopted with a large majority of 39 votes in favour, one against and one abstention. This text aims to combat fraud in the second-hand car trade and the illegal trade in stolen vehicles.
MEPs support the European Commission’s initial proposal for a digital vehicle registration certificate, which would eventually become this document’s main format. However, they wish to retain the option of obtaining a physical version and to make the inclusion of a QR code mandatory on physically issued certificates to facilitate immediate access to vehicle information.
“While fully supporting the digital transition for vehicle registration documents, I also want to ensure strong safeguards to protect and support citizens with limited digital access or digital skills”, stressed MEP Johan Danielsson (S&D, Swedish), the text’s rapporteur.
Fighting fraud. The parliamentary committee also supports the compulsory sharing of real-time data between EU Member States, particularly on vehicle mileage, in order to combat fraud. It added an obligation to share data derived from remote sensing systems for heavy goods vehicles, where available. However, Parliament rejects the automatic re-registration in another Member State of a vehicle lacking European type-approval when the vehicle is already registered in the EU.
“Thanks to this directive, we are making vehicle registration simpler, more efficient and safer for European citizens. The new interconnected digital systems will facilitate free movement across Europe and make cross-border fraud significantly more difficult to commit”, welcomed MEP Alexandra Mehnert (EPP, German), the EPP Group’s lead negotiator on this issue.
Inter-institutional negotiations can begin once the plenary has given the green light and the Council has adopted its negotiating position. The TRAN Committee will also adopt its position on the second text of the roadworthiness package next month. See the compromise amendments put to the vote (compromise amendment 11/A was rejected): https://aeur.eu/f/lgz (Original version in French by Juliette Verdes)