Adoption of Driving Licence Directive postponed

Publication date: 27 June 2005

The adoption of the new draft Directive on the Community driving licence (COM(2003) 621 final / (2003/0252 (COD)), which envisages the harmonisation of the terms of validity and subdivision into classes, has been postponed. Although on the agenda for today's Transport Council, it became clear during the preparatory meetings (COREPER), that a blocking minority (Germany, Austria, Denmark, France and Poland) disagree on the the obligatory exchange of existing licences in the years following the introduction of a single Community model for licenses. The Presidency had to admit the impossibility of attaining a qualified majority for adopting the compromise negotiated on this subject with the European Parliament and the Commission. The adoption will now be postponed till one of the next Transport Council meetings under the British (2/2005) or Austrian (1/2006) Presidency.

com2003_621_licence.pdf (635 KB)

Related News Item:
- Towards one single European driving licence (23 February 2005)