New EU-wide driving licence to be introduced

A new driving licence will soon be introduced across the European Union, to which the Maltese system is EU compliant.

The decision to introduce a single EU driving licence was taken at the end of last week during an EU Transport Council in Luxembourg. Malta was represented by Roads and Infrastructure Minister Jesmond Mugliett.

Speaking to The Times following the meeting, Mr Mugliett said the Maltese system, introduced only a few years ago, was already one of the most advanced in the EU. The benefit of an EU-wide licence, he said, would be the reduction of bureaucracy for Maltese who want to drive in the EU and vice-versa.

The new credit-card sized licence will replace over 110 different styles of driving certificate used within the 25 member states. Paper licences, which are easy to forge and often decades old, will be gradually replaced by plastic cards carrying a recent photo of the bearer and a smart chip containing the person's driving information.

Drivers already in possession of a licence will keep their existing documents and will not have to re-sit their tests. Old licences will be exchanged for the new ones as they expire to avoid the administrative nightmare of replacing millions of driving licences in one go. The new card will be valid for 10 years.

The reform is meant to improve the free movement of 200 million licence holders across Europe, combat fraud and contribute to the EU's mission to make Europe's roads safer.

The agreement reached by the ministers also includes provisions for the harmonisation of the periodicity of medical checks for professional drivers, the introduction of a driving licence for mopeds and the introduction of minimal requirements for the initial qualification and periodic training of driving examiners.

At the same council meeting, no agreement was reached on a proposal for a directive on the charging of heavy goods vehicles for the use of certain infrastructures, principally roads.

A proposal to harmonise tolls to be paid by lorry drivers carrying goods across Europe has been on the table for months, but member states hold differing opinions about it.

Malta is one of the countries opposing the proposal as it feels that Maltese truck-drivers would have to incur extra costs.