Source: European Parliament
Question for written answer E-001896/2024
to the Commission
Rule 144
Tomas Tobé (PPE)
The Swedish Transport Agency says that thousands of people registered in Sweden are travelling to other European Economic Area (EEA) countries in order to have a third-country driving licence exchanged for an EEA licence in a way that is not possible in Sweden.[1]
The Driving Licence Directive regulates how driving licences are exchanged and establishes that EEA driving licences can be exchanged for a national driving licence.[2] However, the legislation was never intended to be used by people from third countries to engage in ‘driving licence tourism’ by travelling to the country affording the most favourable conditions to have a driving licence from their home country converted into an EEA licence.[3]
Abuse of the rules on exchanging driving licences within the EEA in this way has a major impact on road safety throughout the EU, as adequate driver skills can no longer be guaranteed. The growth of driving licence tourism shows the shortcomings of the current EU legislation and an inability to keep the Union’s roads free of driving licence fraudsters.
In view of the above:
- 1.Does the Commission consider that revision of the Driving Licence Directive, which is now at an advanced stage, adequately addresses the problems posed by driving licence tourism, or are additional initiatives needed?
- 2.What action does the Commission intend to take to combat abuse of the current Driving Licence Directive before the new directive is implemented?
Submitted: 1.10.2024
- [1] https://www.transportstyrelsen.se/globalassets/global/nyhetsarkiv/vag/rapport-granskning-utbyte-utlandska-korkort—korkortsturism.pdf
- [2] Directive 2006/126/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council.
- [3] https://www.ereg-association.eu/media/1126/final-report-ereg-topic-group-x-driving-licence-tourism.pdf