27
Feb
2024
Watch
Driving licences (debate)
Madam President, thank you very much. As a former truck driver and MEP, I am extremely proud to be able to share my experience and improve the EU transport sector. In 2018, I led the previous directive on driving licences, with innovations in education and practical measures such as increasing B licences to 4,250 kg for electric vehicles, teaching the assembly of snow chains and the establishment of an EU register to detect false driving licences. These efforts have led to a significant reduction in road deaths in the EU. This is an achievement that we can be proud of. Initially, I had serious concerns about this revision of the directive, led by the Greens, when the proposals aimed solely at frontal attacking SUVs and young drivers. A specific SUV licence and a maximum speed of 90 kilometres per hour for new drivers were proposed. Fortunately, we managed to keep the focus on road safety during the negotiations. This is a wonderful result that also shows how valuable practical experience is in the political decision-making process.