Driving licences: issue, validity, renewal (repeal. Directive 91/439/EEC). Recast

The Council agreed on a general approach on a proposal for a Directive on driving licences, pending the European Parliament's opinion in first reading. This proposal is a recasting of Directive 91/439/EEC.

The text agreed on by the Council provides that within six years after the entry into force of the Directive, all new driving licences will be based on a harmonised "plastic card" model. All new driving licences will have a limited administrative validity, i.e. 10 years for motorcycles and cars and 5 years for trucks and buses.

The agreement reached by the Council also includes the following provisions:

- possibility of introducing a microchip on driving licences;

- harmonisation of the frequency of medical checks for professional drivers;

- introduction of a driving licence for mopeds;

- extension of the principle of progressive access to driving licences for the most powerful types of

vehicles;

- introduction of minimum requirements for the initial qualification and periodic training of

driving examiners;

- confirmation of the principle of the single driving licence (one holder, one licence).

As regards existing driving licences, the Council decided that Member States would not be obliged

to exchange them against a new driving licence.