Limited validity, new exam requirements, longer probationary period for young drivers, penalties applicable abroad and possible medical examinations… The European Union has just adopted a comprehensive driving licence reform that applies to all Member States. Some regulations will be stricter, but French drivers may end up escaping the most restrictive measures.
At the European level, the goal is clear: to improve road safety and get closer to the ambitious goal of zero road deaths by 2050. To achieve this goal, the European institutions consider it necessary to modernise driving licence rules and adapt them to new traffic habits, vehicle technologies and risky behaviour.
Following a provisional agreement reached between the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union in March, the reform was officially adopted on Tuesday 21 October. The text contains a number of amendments which will enter into force approximately twenty days after their publication in the Official Journal of the European Union. The 27 member states will then have up to four years to adapt their national laws and prepare for the practical implementation of these new rules.
In other words, the changes will not be immediate, but will gradually change the issuance and monitoring of driving licences across Europe. However, a closer look at the details of this reform shows that some measures remain relatively flexible: Member States retain some leeway in adapting various provisions.
