EU member states have agreed a common position on reforming EU driving license rules. Therefore, driving licenses should be renewed every 15 years – shorter deadlines in old age should be left to the respective countries, it said in a council statement on Monday. Driving ability tests should also not be mandatory. Alternatively, EU states could rely on drivers’ self-assessments.
The possible health status check when renewing a driving license, as is common in some EU countries, caused an uproar in Austria. Austria has always taken a very negative stance here, said Transport Minister Leonore Gewessler (Greens) ahead of today’s Council meeting in Brussels. She assumes that such health checks will remain out of the question after negotiations with the EU Parliament.
In any case, she clearly advocated for Austria to rely on drivers’ self-assessment when implementing the directive. This is the most practical solution, says Gewessler. The minister also spoke out against reducing the validity period of elderly people’s driver’s licenses.
For his Berlin colleague, German Transport Minister Volker Wissing (FDP), self-assessment also goes too far. He fears this will lead to more bureaucracy.
As a next step, so-called trialogue negotiations with the European Parliament can now begin. However, EU MEPs must first agree on their own position.