Malta will not adopt EU driving licences

The European Union will soon have its own driving licence, however Maltese drivers will still retain their present licence as Malta is well advanced in this sector after recent reforms.

This week the European Parliament backed plans for a new credit card-sized driving licence, replacing the 110 different types of certificates in circulation within the 25 EU member states.

Paper licences, which are easy to forge and often decades old, will no longer be issued. They will gradually be replaced by plastic cards featuring a recent photo of the bearer and a smart chip carrying their driving information.

This process is already being done in Malta and the present driving licences will not need to be replaced before expiry.

Transport Ministry sources told The Sunday Times that in this sector Malta is way ahead of other member states as plastic card driving licences are already being used. The sources said that Maltese citizens holding a valid driving licence can still drive in all EU countries with the present Maltese licence.

According to the new EU plans, in all member states old licences will be exchanged for the new ones as and when they expire to avoid the administrative nightmare of replacing millions of driving licences. The new card will be valid for ten years.

Drivers already in possession of a licence can keep their existing documents, and will not have to resit their tests.

The proposed reforms are meant to improve the free movement of the 200 million licence holders across Europe, combat fraud and help contribute to making Europe's roads safer.

Under the Commission's proposals, licences issued to drivers over 65 should be valid only for five-year periods, but the European Parliament's Transport Committee yesterday backed amendments lifting blanket restrictions, leaving it to each member states discretion.

The proposals are set for the first reading in the Strasbourg European Parliament in February.