Brussels, 20/03/2006 (Agence Europe) - An agreement on the proposal for a directive aimed at introducing a driving licence that covers all European territory may be reached at the Transport Council on 27 March. The proposal, which aims to replace the hundred or so different models of driving licence that now exist on Community territory with a single plastic model of the “credit card” kind, had hitherto been blocked in Council by several Member States. It would now seem that a compromise has been reached to overcome the last obstacles. These obstacles cover the period of transition for entry into force of the new European licence and its duration of validity. On the first point, the compromise in fact takes up what had been negotiated between the European Parliament and Council under Luxembourg EU Presidency. It thus foresees that, twenty years after the date of the directive's entry into force, all driving licences in use should be brought into line with the new Community model. Taking transposition times into account, the Member States would in reality have 26 years, once the directive is adopted, to replace driving licences in circulation with the new European licence. The compromise also fixes the duration of administrative validity of the new European licence at ten years for categories A (motorcycles) and B (cars). What is new is that Member States will have the possibility to extend it up to fifteen years. Administrative validity of the new C licence (lorries) and D licence (buses/coaches) remains fixed at five years. If things go as expected, the Council should therefore reach an agreement on the compromise during the Transport Council on 27 March, without debate.
Belgian national Mathieu Grosch (EPP-ED), Rapporteur for the Parliament on this issue, told EUROPE he had the “impression that a large majority in Parliament will go with the compromise proposed” in Council. In short, if all goes according to plan, the proposal could be adopted during the first half of 2006.