What changed between the draft committee report and the plenary report

The Rapporteur strongly welcomes the European Commission’s proposal, which effectively leverages digitalisation and new technologies to the benefit of EU citizens. The proposed measures represent simple, cost-effective steps that can deliver tangible reductions in unnecessary administrative burdens while strengthening consumer protection and combating fraud and crime that impose extra costs on vehicle owners and endanger road safety across the Union.

In particular, the Rapporteur highlights the significant potential of the transition towards mobile vehicle registration documents to reduce administrative burdens for citizens. The introduction of QR codes for registration documents will enable the use of the latest technological solutions, providing citizens with secure and immediate access to vehicle information. Access to a digital version of a key document for drivers will help reduce paperwork and facilitate cross-border travel for EU citizens when taking their vehicles abroad.

The Rapporteur stresses, however, that the digital transition for vehicle registration documents must be accompanied by strong safeguards to protect and support citizens with limited digital access or digital skills. A physical version of the registration document should therefore always remain available upon request and should be provided free of charge. It is essential that citizens who may face barriers to using digital tools are not placed at a disadvantage when fulfilling administrative obligations.

Real-time data exchange between Member States will also play a vital role in fighting vehicle crime and fraud and in strengthening consumer protection, particularly in the purchase of second-hand vehicles. The exchange of lifetime mileage data is a simple but essential measure to prevent criminal manipulation of odometers. According to one study, up to 50% of second-hand cars traded within the EU have had their odometers tampered with, causing consumers to overpay for vehicles that appear less used than they are in reality and to underestimate the maintenance needs and associated costs of vehicles with significantly higher actual mileage.

The Rapporteur also identifies an opportunity to further leverage innovation and data exchange to protect public health. For this reason, the Rapporteur proposes including Remote Emission Sensing (RES) data in the scope of data exchanged between Member States. The inclusion of RES in the revisions of the Directives on periodic roadworthiness tests and on technical roadside inspections is a cost-effective measure to reduce the harmful impact of high-emitting vehicles on air quality and noise pollution. Estimates indicate that although high-emitting vehicles represent only around 1.5% of the EU fleet, they may be responsible for up to 40% of total emissions. The health of EU citizens should not be jeopardised by vehicle manipulation, improper maintenance, or tampering, particularly when simple and affordable technological solutions are available. Extending the scope to include RES data will support the timely identification of high-emitting vehicles, which according to the proposal need to be detected three times within a six-month period, and thereby enable appropriate follow-up to verify and address excessive emissions.

The Rapporteur therefore supports a forward-looking approach that enhances administrative efficiency, strengthens consumer protection, and supports environmental and public health objectives, while ensuring that the transition to digital tools remains fully inclusive and accessible for all citizens.