Driving licence, new Community model (amend. Directive 91/439/EEC)

The rapporteur, Mr Farassino (ELDR, I), regretted that in its common position the Council had not retained a ten-year limit on the period of validity of the credit card-style driving licence, as this meant, among other things, that the holder’s photograph could not be replaced from the age of 18 to the time of death, which had all kinds of ridiculous implications. Furthermore, he explained that Amendment No 4 had reintroduced a provision that prohibited Member States from collecting an annual tax on driving licences, since people already paid enough for obtaining the licence in the first place and for using the roads, etc. While sharing the rapporteur’s views on the Council’s refusal to accept a ten-year validity period for the new-style driving licence, Commissioner Van Miert could not accept any of the amendments tabled by Parliament. He considered in particular that Amendment No 1, which dealt with the advantages of the new style of licence, was premature, while No 4 came within the competence of the Member States.