What changed between the adopted text of 28 Feb 2024 and the adopted text of 21 Oct 2025

Removed:(16b) The combination of an adequate minimum age for licences in each category, that facilitates both mobility independence of young drivers and their timely access to professional driving, and stricter conditions for novice drivers regarding inter alia alcohol limits, can benefit road safety. [Am. 17]

Removed:(16c) The assessment of a driver's fitness to drive safely should be made on the basis of specific criteria, taking into account in particular driver’s medical condition. Decisions on the restriction, suspension, withdrawal or cancellation of driving licences should be taken on an individual basis and should be based on the objective results of examinations and tests. Any form of discrimination against licensed drivers solely on the grounds of age should be unacceptable. [Am. 18]

Removed:(16d) The right to a driving licence is a guarantee of freedom of movement and participation in economic and social life, especially in rural and less urbanised areas with a limited public transport network. Particularly for the elderly, the lonely, persons with reduced mobility or persons with disabilities, individual transport is an important element in supporting their independent and autonomous functioning. Restrictions on the right to hold a driving licence should be based on objective criteria determined on an individual basis and should not entail the risk of discrimination. [Am. 19]

Removed:(17) A system of staging - namely establishing the entitlement for a category B driving licence as a prerequisite for the applicant to become eligible to hold certain other categories -, and equivalences between categories should be established, including a minimum period of experience before such eligibility, where appropriate. Such system should be partially binding on all Member States, but should also grant Member States the possibility to apply it between each other in their respective territories. Member States should also be allowed to establish certain equivalences limited to their own territory only. [Am. 20]

Removed:(18) On the grounds of road safety, it is necessary to lay down the minimum requirements for the issue of a driving licence. Standards for driving tests and licensing should be harmonised. To that end, the knowledge, skills and behaviour connected with driving power-driven vehicles should be specified, the driving test should be based on these concepts and the minimum standards of physical and mental fitness for driving such vehicles should be specified. Such requirements should take into account the different practices in use in all Member States. [Ams. 242 and 305]

Removed:(18a) Currently, when issuing driving licences for group 1, namely for drivers of vehicles of categories A, A1, A2, AM, B, B1 and BE, most Member States have established some form of fitness check to drive, beyond the eyesight test. Such a check may vary from a self-assessment form to a medical examination, carried out by general practitioner or a specialist doctor or a testing centre. When renewing driving licences for group 1, few Member States require a medical examination. There are also few Member States that have established a national mechanism for reporting significant changes in the fitness to drive. In general, when issuing and renewing driving licences for group 2, namely for drivers of vehicles of categories C, CE, C1, C1E, D, DE, D1 and D1E, the requirements are more stringent and detailed, by mandating a medical examination. [Ams. 243 and 306]

Removed:(19) Proof of compliance with minimum standards of physical and mental fitness for driving by drivers of vehicles used for the transport of persons or goods should be provided when the driving licence is issued and periodically thereafter. Such regular control in accordance with national rules of compliance with minimum standards would contribute to the free movement of persons, avoid distortions of competition and better take into account the specific responsibility of drivers of such vehicles. Member States should be allowed to impose medical examinations as a guarantee of compliance with the minimum standards of physical and mental fitness for driving other power-driven vehicles. For reasons of transparency, such examinations should coincide with a renewal of driving licences. [Am. 21]

Removed:(19a) Recent new medical technologies have contributed to improve road safety. Technologies which minimize or eliminate the risk connected to driving with specific medical conditions have been introduced to the market and implemented among patients. Monitoring technologies, such as continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) systems for people with diabetes mellitus, allows persons to effectively and continuously control their medical conditions thus eliminating the risk of driving connected to their disease. Furthermore technologies like CGM systems are currently being developed and improved at a rapid pace ensuring a continuously improved control of medical conditions and thereby increasing the road safety. [Am. 22]

Removed:(19b) The European Parliament in its resolution of 23 November 2022 on prevention, management and better care of diabetes in the EU on the occasion of World Diabetes Day has called on the Commission to review the relevant occupational health and safety legal framework and the road safety legislation to avoid further discrimination of people living with diabetes. [Am. 23]

Removed:(20) In order to ensure uniform rights across the Union, taking into account also considerations of road safety, driving licences of categories AM, A1, A2, A, B1 and B should have an administrative validity of 15 years, while categories C, CE, C1, C1E, D, DE, D1 and D1E shall have an administrative validity of five years. Member States should be allowed to define shorter period in exceptional cases, as defined by this Directive.

Removed:(20a) Refresher courses for experienced drivers can improve road safety by raising awareness and requiring drivers to gain additional experience in new technological solutions such as advanced driver-assistance systems, semi-automated and automated. For that purpose, the use of simulators could be key to update skills of experienced drivers. In addition, driving simulators could also recreate adverse conditions and emergency scenarios and consequently improve the driver's ability to respond and make decisions in critical situations. [Am. 24]

Removed:(20b) Lifelong training is key to keeping experienced drivers’ skills up to date, especially with regard to eco-driving, the increase in the mass of vehicles, the constant technological advances in driver assistance systems and other automated devices, and alternative vehicle power sources. Member States should therefore be encouraged to develop training modules for experienced drivers. [Am. 25]

Removed:(21) In order to allow the Member States and, in duly justified cases the Union as a whole, to react to crises that make it impossible for national authorities to renew driving licences the validity of which would otherwise expire it should be made possible to extend the administrative validity of such driving licences for the duration strictly necessary.

Removed:(22) The principle of ‘one holder - one licence’ should prevents any person of holding more than one physical driving licence. Nevertheless, the principle should also be extended to take into account the technical specificities of mobile driving licences.

Removed:(23) For reasons connected with road safety, Member States should be able to apply their national provisions on the withdrawal, suspension, renewal and cancellation of driving licences to all licence holders having acquired normal residence in their territory.

Removed:(24) Drivers who hold a driving licence issued by the Member State where they reside following an exchange with a driving licence issued by a third country should be entitled to drive across the Union as if they had originally obtained the licence within the Union. Such an exchange could have diverse effects on road safety and the free movement of persons.

Removed:(25) The Commission should be empowered to adopt a decision identifying third countries that ensure a comparable level of road safety as the Union and providing the opportunity to holders of licences issued by these countries to exchange their driving licences on similar terms as if they were issued by a Member State. The Commission should in this regard be allowed to assess if a third country has a professional driver training, certification rules and examination procedures, that are wholly or partly comparable to the level in the Union, in order to ultimately issue a certificate comparable to the Certificate of Professional Competence (CPC). This could allow the holders of those third-country certificates to exchange them with a European CPC, provided that they undertake an additional competence training. Such certificate could, in addition to the driving licence, be the second mandatory requirement for professional drivers to be able to carry out transport operations for a Union based transport undertaking. These conditions should be detailed and well-defined to all relevant driving licence categories. [Am. 26]

Removed:(26) As regards driving licences issued by third countries that are not the object of such a Commission decision, or for which such a decision does not explicitly authorise nor prohibit the exchange, Member States should be allowed to exchange them in accordance with their national rules, provided that they use the relevant Union code on the exchanged licence. In case the holder of such a licence changes his or her residence to a new Member State, the latter should not be required to apply the principle of mutual recognition to such licence.

Removed:(27) “Driving licence tourism”, namely the practice of changing residence for the purpose of acquiring a new driving licence, in order to circumvent the effects of a driving disqualification imposed in another Member State, is a wide-spread phenomenon, which has a negative effect on road safety. Drivers should not be exempted from requirements imposed on them to recover their right to drive or their driving licence, by changing their residence. At the same time it should be clarified that any conduct from the part of the citizens should only lead to an indefinite ban from driving where it is duly justified, and that such a decision should only have an effect limited to the territory of the Member State that issued it.

Removed:(27a) Non-Road Mobile Machinery (NRMM) covers a wide variety of machinery typically used off the road in many ways. It comprises, for example construction and forestry machinery (excavators, loaders, bulldozers, etc.), agricultural and farming machinery (harvesters, cultivators, etc.). The existing Directive does not apply to such a machinery. It is, however, a subject to a patchwork of national provisions as regards the required driving licence and particular training requirements since it may circulate on public roads. Member States should collaborate with the view to facilitate usage of Non-Road Mobile Machinery across the Union, in particular in cross border context, seasonal work or work provided by posted workers. The Commission should establish a platform for cooperation by inviting national authorities and the relevant stakeholders with the view to aggregate, process and disseminate knowledge and information on best practices for drivers of special use vehicles such as Non Road Mobile Machinery in all Member States. The deliberations of the platform for cooperation should serve as a base for the Commission’s report on the effects of use of national provisions on Non Road Mobile Machinery and its implication on internal market and road safety. This report might be accompanied, if appropriate, by a legislative proposal to the European Parliament and the Council with the view to facilitating use of Non Road Mobile Machinery across the Union. [Am. 310]

Removed:(28) A Union-wide accompanied driving scheme should be introduced for certain driving licence categories B, C and C1, in order to improve road safety. The rules of such a system should provide the possibility of applicants to acquire driving licences in the relevant categories before the required minimum age limit is reached. However the use of those driving licences should be subject to being accompanied by an experienced driver. In such situations, Member States should be allowed, for reasons of road safety, to define stricter conditions and rules within their territory concerning the driving licences they have issued. [Am. 27]

Removed:(29) The accompanied driving scheme should, without prejudice to its overall goal of improving road safety, make the profession of truck driver more accessible and appealing to younger generations, in order to broaden their occupational possibilities, and to help tackle the driver shortage within the Union. Therefore, it should cover category Ccategories C and C1 driving licences and their prerequisite B category licences. [Am. 28]

Removed:(29a) The partnership between vocational schools and transport and logistics companies should be incentivised, including through specific Union budget support and use of revenues earmarked under Directive 2015/413 of the European Parliament and of the Council, in order to tackle professional drivers' shortage in the Union. Such partnership should offer to future professional drivers an opportunity to become more familiar with the benefits and the challenges of the profession, to improve their operational and organisational skills and to gain experience, while using advanced technologies and techniques. The form of that support could include, among others, EU co-financing to obtain certain qualifications such as CPC or dedicated trainings for future drivers. [Am. 29]

Removed:(30) It should be ensured that drivers who newly acquire their driving licence in a given category do not endanger road safety on account of their inexperience. For those novice drivers a probationary period of at least two years should be established. In case a novice driver already has a valid driving licence for another category, the probationary period should only include what may remain of the probationary period of the existing driving licence, yet it should not be shorter than 6 months. During which theythat period drivers should be subjected to stricter rules and penalties Union-wide when breaking them, for example, due to the influence of alcohol or drugs, speeding, using unauthorised vehicles, failing to use safety equipment, or driving without a valid driving licence. Enforcement authorities might need to establish a technical zero tolerance threshold for their effective measurements, which should not be higher than 0.2 g/mL, in order to take into account accidental exposure to alcohol. The penalties for such conduct should be effective, proportionate, dissuasive and non‐discriminatorynon-discriminatory and their severity should to the furthest extent possible take into account the Union’s mid-term and long-term goals of halving and nearly eliminating deaths and serious injuries. As regards any other restrictions on novice drivers, Member States should be allowed to freely implement additional rules in their territory. [Am. 30]

Removed:(31) Minimum standards concerning access to the profession of examiner and examiner training requirements should be established in order to improve the knowledge and skills of examiners, including hazard perception training, thereby ensuring a more objective evaluation of driving licence applicants and achieving greater harmonisation of driving tests. The Commission should be empowered, moreover, to adopt delegated acts to amend and adapt those minimum standards to any technical, operational or scientific developments in this field, including new advanced driver assistance systems, where it becomes necessary. [Am. 31]

Removed:(32) The concept of normal residence should be defined, in a way that enables resolving issues arising where it is not possible to establish normal residence on the basis of occupational or familial ties. It is also necessary to provide for the possibility for applicants to take the theoretical or practical tests in the Member State of their citizenship in the cases where their Member State of normal residence does not provide the opportunity to take those tests in the official language of the former. Specific rules shouldcould be established for diplomats and their families, where their mission requires them to live abroad for an extended period of time, provided that does not entail additional road safety risks. [Am. 32]

Removed:(33) Member States should assist each other in the implementation of this Directive. Where possible they should use the EU driving licence network in order to provide such assistance. The EU driving licence network, commonly referred to as ‘RESPER’ is a hub for the exchange of information between national authorities responsible for issuing driving licences and facilitating the implementation of this Directive.

Removed:(34) The EU driving licence network aims to guarantee the recognition of documents and acquired rights originating in Member States, combat document fraud, avoid the issuance of multiple licences and facilitate the enforcement of driving disqualifications. In particular, Member States should be given the possibility to systematically verify that the reasons, that led to any previously imposed restrictions, suspensions, withdrawals or cancellations of a driving licence or the right to drive, have disappeared. The use of RESPER for the implementation of other acts of the Union should only be permitted as long as those uses are explicitly provided for by this Directive.

Removed:(35) In order to enable the preparation of meaningful reports on the implementation of this Directive, the Commission should receive information on a yearly basis regarding the number of driving licences issued, renewed, replaced, withdrawn and exchanged, for each category, including data on the issuance and use of mobile driving licences.

Removed:(35a) During the preparations for the review of this directive, the Commission should take into consideration to the fullest extent that Member States have different geographical and societal challenges they face when aiming to improve road safety. Indeed, while some Member States are successfully aiming to enforce road traffic rules through the so-called demerit point systems, others are choosing different methods, such as imposing stricter sanctions immediately or putting more effort into targeted enforcement and prevention campaigns. Moreover, account should also be taken of the fact that demerit point systems themselves can be significantly different between Member States that choose to apply them. As such, resources and attention should be directed to other measures which can increase road safety, while also letting Member States address their diverse challenges in ways they believe to be the most efficient. [Ams. 247 and 311]

Removed:(35b) Member States should equally share data on their best practices as regards road safety measures and risk awareness trainings, especially as regards novice drivers and within the lifelong training, use of support system per age group through feedback interventions with proof of participation and recommendations provided by a driving instructor, traffic psychologist or driving examiner, as well as measures to increase road safety among vulnerable road users. [Am. 34]

Removed:(36) In order to achieve the objectives of this Directive, in particular to adjust its Annexes to any technical, operational or scientific developments, the power to adopt acts in accordance with Article 290 TFEU should be delegated to the Commission in respect of amending Parts A, B and D of Annex I that governs the specifications of physical driving licences; amending Part C of Annex I that lays down the specifications for mobile driving licences; amending Part E of Annex I that governs the rules on the applicable national and Union codes; amending Annexes II, III, V and VI specifying certain minimum requirements concerning the issuance, validity and renewal of driving licences; and amending Annex IV laying down the minimum standards for examiners. Such empowerment should be granted for a period of five years, given the fact that technical, operational and scientific developments in the matters governed by these Annexes occur on a frequent basis. It is of particular importance that the Commission carry out appropriate consultations during its preparatory work, including at expert level, and that those consultations be conducted in accordance with the principles laid down in the Interinstitutional Agreement of 13 April 2016 on Better Law-Making. In particular, to ensure equal participation in the preparation of delegated acts, the European Parliament and the Council receive all documents at the same time as Member States' experts, and their experts systematically have access to meetings of Commission expert groups dealing with the preparation of delegated acts.

Removed:(37) In a context of gradual digitalisation and automation, of ever more stringent emission reduction requirements of road transport, as well as of constant technological progress of power-driven vehicles, it is necessary to keep all drivers up to date in terms of knowledge about new technologies, road safety and sustainability. The promotion ofMember States should endeavour to promote lifelong training of drivers and incentivise attendance at safe driving courses, including through feedback interventions with proof of participation and recommendations provided by a driving instructor, traffic psychologist or driving examiner, which can contribute to more inclusive mobility. That can be key in keeping experienced drivers’ skills up to date in terms of road safety, new technologies, ecodriving, which improves fuel efficiency and reduces emissions, and speed management. [Am. 35]

Removed:(38) In order to ensure uniform conditions for the implementation of this Directive, implementing powers should be conferred on the Commission to specify interoperability features and security measures applicable to the QR codes introduced on physical driving licences; provisions related to interoperability, security and testing of mobile driving licences; the extension of the period of administrative validity of driving licences across the Union in case of a crisis; the content of the self-assessment on physical and mental fitness to be conducted for drivers of group 1; the conditions of the exchange of driving licences from third countries for driving licences issued by Member States without recording the fact of exchange on the driving licence; as well as interoperability between national systems connected to the EU driving licence network and the protection of personal data exchanged in that context. Those powers should be exercised in accordance with Regulation (EU) No 182/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council.

Removed:(39) For the sake of consistency, Directive (EU) 2022/2561 of the European Parliament and of the Council, which addresses certain matters covered by this Directive, and Regulation (EU) 2018/1724 should be amended.

Removed:(40) Directive 126/2006/EC and Commission Regulation (EU) No 383/2012 should be repealed.

Removed:(41) Since the objectives of this Directive cannot be sufficiently achieved by the Member States as the rules governing the issuance, renewal, replacement and exchange of driving licences would lead to so diverse requirements, that the level of road safety and free movement of citizens harmonized rules provide for, could not be achieved, such objectives are better achieved at Union level by way of laying down minimum requirements. Therefore the Union may adopt measures, in accordance with the principle of subsidiarity as set out in Article 5 Treaty on European Union. In accordance with the principle of proportionality as set out in that Article, this Directive does not go beyond what is necessary in order to achieve those objectives.

Removed:(42) The European Data Protection Supervisor was consulted in accordance with Article 42(1) of Regulation (EU) 2018/1725 and delivered an opinion on [DD/MM/YYYY].

Removed:(43) In accordance with the Joint Political Declaration of 28 September 2011 of Member States and the Commission on explanatory documents, Member States have undertaken to accompany, in justified cases, the notification of their transposition measures with one or more documents explaining the relationship between the components of a directive and the corresponding parts of national transposition instruments. With regard to this Directive, the legislator considers the transmission of such documents to be justified.

Removed:HAVE ADOPTED THIS DIRECTIVE:

Removed:Article 1 Subject matter and scope

Removed:1. This Directive lays down common rules on:

Removed:(a) the models, standards and categories of driving licences;

Removed:(b) the issuance, validity, renewal, and mutual recognition of driving licences;

Removed:(c) certain aspects of the exchange, replacement, withdrawal, restriction, suspension and cancelation of driving licences;

Removed:(d) certain aspects applicable inter alia to novice drivers. [Am. 36]

Removed:2. Without prejudice to Articles 12a and 20 of this Directive as well as the right of Member States to add national categories to the driving licences that they issue in accordance with Annex I, this Directive does not apply to power-driven vehicles running on wheels or tracks, having at least two axles, the principal function of which lies in their tractive power, which are speciallyself-propelled mobile machinery falling within the scope of Directive 2006/42/EC, that is designed to pull, push, carry or operate certain tools, machines or trailers used in connection with agricultural or forestry operations, and the use of which for carrying persons or goods by road or drawing,or constructed with the purpose of performing work, such as non-road mobile machinery as defined by [Regulation on the road, vehicles used for the carriage of persons or goods is only a secondary functionapproval and market surveillance of non-road mobile machinery circulating on public roads and amending Regulation (EU) 2019/1020 (2023/0090(COD))]. [Am. 312]

Removed:Article 2 Definitions

Removed:For the purposes of this Directive, the following definitions apply:

Removed:(1) 'driving licence' means an electronic or physicala document that certifies the right to drive power-driven vehicles and states the conditions under which the holder is authorised to drive , whether in a physical or digital format, or both; [Am. 38]

Removed:(2) ‘physical driving licence’ means a driving licence in its physical format, issued in accordance with Article 4;

Removed:(3) ‘mobile driving licence’ means a driving licence in its digital format, issued in accordance with Article 5;

Removed:(4) 'power-driven vehicle' means any self-propelled vehicle running on a road under its own power, other than a rail-borne vehicle;

Removed:(5) ‘two-wheel vehicle’ means a vehicle referred to in Article 4(2), point (a), of Regulation (EU) No 168/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council;

Removed:(6) ‘three-wheel vehicle’ means a vehicle referred to in Article 4(2), point (b), of Regulation (EU) No 168/2013;

Removed:(7) ‘light quadricycle’ means a vehicle as referred to in Article 4(2), point (f), of Regulation (EU) No 168/2013;

Removed:(8) ‘motorcycle’ means a two-wheel vehicle with or without a sidecar, as referred to in Article 4(2), point (c) and (d) of Regulation (EU) No 168/2013;

Removed:(9) ‘powered tricycle’ means a vehicle with three symmetrically arranged wheels, as referred to in Article 4(2), point (e) of Regulation (EU) No 168/2013;

Removed:(10) ‘motor vehicle' means any power-driven vehicle which is normally used for carrying persons or goods by road or for drawing, on the road, vehicles used for the carriage of persons or goods. This term shall include trolleybuses, that is vehicles connected to an electric conductor and not track-based.

Removed:(11) ‘heavy quadricycle’ means vehicles as referred to in Article 4(2), point (g), of Regulation (EU) No 168/2013;