EU member states have agreed a common position on reforming EU driving license rules. Driving licenses must be renewed every 15 years – shorter periods in old age should be left to the respective countries, a Council statement said today.
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 position here, said Transport Minister Leonore Gewessler (Greens) before the Council meeting in Brussels. She assumes that such health checks will remain out of the question after negotiations with the EU Parliament.
Gewessler supports driver self-assessment
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.
In a next step, trilogue negotiations with the European Parliament can now begin. However, EU MEPs must first agree on their own position.
According to a press release, Andreas Schieder, head of the SPÖ delegation in the EU Parliament, hopes that “reason will prevail” here. “Especially when it comes to suggestions like mandatory medical exams for seniors or tiered speed limits for novice drivers. These are not effective and discriminatory.”