Driving bans for excessive speeding or drunk driving will apply across the EU in the future, and mandatory health tests for older drivers are finally off the table: On Tuesday, the European Parliament passed two laws reforming European driver's license rules. Members of Parliament and representatives of the 27 EU countries had already agreed on this several months ago.
Anyone who causes an accident while on vacation in Italy, for example, and is therefore banned from driving there, will no longer be allowed to drive anywhere in the EU. Until now, only the EU country in which a driver's license was issued could revoke it completely. There is no Europe-wide points system like the one in Germany, but in the future, authorities will exchange information on serious violations.
This will be made easier by the introduction of a digital driver's license, which all drivers will be able to access via their smartphones starting in 2030. However, those who wish to do so can continue to apply for a card-based license. The German TÜV Association welcomed the regulation for a digital driver's license. Richard Goebelt the head of the relevant department at TÜV, however, explained that “there is still a lot of work to be done” in Germany. One problem, for example, is that the state authorities use different software systems.
According to the reforms, anyone taking a driving test in any EU country must undergo a medical examination or provide self-disclosure information about their health. The driver's license will then be valid for 15 years. When renewing a license, individual countries may also require a medical examination based on EU rules, but they may also decide not to do so.
In earlier debates, one of the proposals on the table from the EU Commission was to require drivers aged 70 and over to provide proof of their health every five years. Germany had always rejected this and prevailed with the support of countries such as Belgium and Austria. With these changes, the EU is prescribing a two-year probationary period for its member states for the first time.
Accompanied driving from the age of 17, as is the case in Germany, is also to become standard throughout the EU. “The successful German model is becoming European,” said CDU transport politician and MEP Jens Gieseke, welcoming the reform. This will ensure “greater safety and experience for young people before they drive alone,” explained SPD MEP Vivien Costanzo.
The Council of EU member states still has to approve the legislative changes. However, this is considered a formality.
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