27/03/2006 (Agence Europe) - The political green light, given by the Transport Council on 27 March to the European driving licence, does not please all the members of the European Parliament (see other article). These proposals will not improve the safety of the UK roads, which are already the safest in Europe, and will do nothing but bring "more expense and red tape to British drivers", protested British Conservative member Philip Bradbourn. Bavarian CSU MEP Markus Ferber, for his part, said that by setting a time limit on the validity of the licence, the Council is going too far: he feels that this decision may lead to "incomprehension and confusion" among German drivers. Willem Schuth (FDP) was more positive, even though he finds the planned transition period for bringing the European driving licence in too long: we need a single licence "as soon as possible, not in 25 years' time!" However, the German Liberal feels that the compromise reached is better than the previous deadlock, commenting that "transport Minister Wolfgang Tiefensee has finally broken with the stubborn attitude of his predecessor Manfred Stolpe and made this agreement possible".