The EU declares war

“Cap” should be able to be withdrawn without limits

Anyone whose driving license is revoked abroad in future will also lose their driving license in all other EU states.

(Bild: AFP/Adobe Stock, Krone KREATIV)

The European Parliament voted in Strasbourg on Tuesday for EU-wide driving license suspensions for serious traffic offences. If a driver's "cap" is tweaked in one EU country, this should apply throughout the entire Union. Penalties abroad could soon have far-reaching consequences.

Collecting a fine for drunk driving while on vacation in Italy, fleeing back over the Brenner Pass and pretending back home that nothing happened is to become a practice of the past, according to the EU parliamentarians.

Currently, drivers who have their driving license revoked in other EU countries for serious offences can continue to drive unchallenged in the rest of the EU, according to a statement from the EU Parliament.

A declaration of war on traffic offenders
The planned directive would apply to speeding and driving under the influence of alcohol or other drugs. It would also cover any traffic offense that leads to the death or injury of another person.

Speeding drivers in the sights

• Exceeding a speed limit of 50 km/h will lead to the revocation of a driver's license.
• In residential areas, a driver's license can be taken away if you are driving 30 km/h too fast.
• The European Union has set itself the goal of reducing the number of road deaths to zero by 2050.

There are differing views on less serious offenses. Some parliamentarians demand that dangerous parking, dangerous overtaking and hit-and-runs should also lead to a driving ban.

Are there loopholes?
As a directive, the text gives EU member states a certain amount of leeway when transposing it into national law. For example, Austria could decide not to adopt the driving disqualification of another country when it comes to minor speeding offenses.

372 MEPs voted in favor of the report, with 220 against and 43 abstentions. From a domestic perspective, the MEPs from the SPÖ, Greens and NEOS as well as ÖVP politician Othmar Karas voted in favor of the position, while the remaining ÖVP MEPs and those from the FPÖ voted against.

FPÖ sees national competences under threat
In a press conference before the vote, FPÖ mandatary Roman Haider explained his rejection by saying that the text overstepped the mark and encroached too much on national competences.

The text adopted on Tuesday represents the parliamentary position. The next step will now be negotiations with the member states in order to agree on a final legislative text. Experience has shown that this may take some time.

No agreement in sight yet
The member states have not yet reached a position on the project. For example, it is still unclear whether there will be a Europe-wide points system or whether the member states will only be obliged to introduce a national points system. 

Anyone whose driving license is revoked abroad in future will also lose their driving license in all other EU states.

(Bild: AFP/Adobe Stock, Krone KREATIV)

Negotiations will only start after a new parliament has been elected in the summer. Following such an agreement on a directive, the member states generally have around two years to transpose the requirements into national law.