On Tuesday at noon, MEPs are expected to confirm an update to EU driving licence rules as well as changes to ensure the disqualification of foreign reckless drivers. With almost 20,000 lives lost on EU roads annually, Parliament wants to make sure the rules help to make roads safer.
The new rules bring in additional requirements for learner drivers, who will have to know about blind spot and phone usage risks and be more aware of pedestrians, children, cyclists and other vulnerable road users. Other innovations include: a new digital driving licence accessible via a smartphone; a probationary period of at least two years for new drivers; accompanied driving for 17-year-olds; and the possibility to obtain a professional truck driving licence from the age of 18, and a bus driving licence from the age of 21.
In addition, a driving licence withdrawal, suspension or restriction abroad will have to be communicated to the EU country that issued the driving licence in order to enforce the penalty and make sure it is effectively applied cross-border.
When: Tuesday 21 October 2025, 14.00 CET
Where: European Parliament in Strasbourg, Daphne Caruana Galizia press conference room (WEISS N -1/201)
Who: Parliament’s rapporteur on driving licence rules Jutta Paulus (Greens, DE) and rapporteur on driving disqualification rules Matteo Ricci (S&D, IT).
How: Accredited media representatives are invited to attend the press conference in person. In addition, journalists can join the press conference and ask questions remotely via the Interactio platform. When connecting, enter your name and the media organisation you are representing in the first name/last name fields. For better sound quality, use headphones and a microphone. Interpretation is only possible for interventions with video.
Interpretation will be available into and from English, French, German, Spanish, Italian and Polish.
The press conference will also be webstreamed live on the Parliament’s Multimedia Centre website. You can follow it here.
Background
The revised EU driving licence rules are part of a road safety package presented by the Commission in March 2023, which aims to improve safety for all road users and to move as close as possible to zero fatalities in EU road transport by 2050 (“Vision Zero“).
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