Draft council Recommendation on a parking card for disabled persons
Date: 1995-12-15
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: Council of the European Union, EC recommendation, facilities for people with disabilities, harmonisation of standards, parking area

COMMISSION  OF THE EUROPEAN  COMMUNITIES 

Brussels,  15.12.1995 
COM(95) 696  final 

95/0353  (SYN) 

DRAFT  COUNCIL RECOMMENDATION ON A 
PARKING  CARD  FOR  DISABLED. PERSONS 

(presented by  the  Commission) 

EXPLANATORY  MEMORANDUM 

I. 

1 

2 - 

INTRODUCTION 

In its  medium-term  social  action  programme  (1995-97)  (COM(95)  134  final  of 
12 April  1995),  the  Commission  undertook,  in  section  6.33,  to  present  a 
recommendation  on  the  reciprocal  recognition  of  parking  cards  for  disabled 
persons with  a view  to facilitating  their freedom  of movement. 

The question  of  parking cards for disabled persons  was previously  addressed by 
the  Council  of  Transport  Ministers  in  a  recommendation  of  6  December  1977 
emanating  from  the  European  Conference  of  Ministers  of  Transport  (ECMT)1, . 
calling for: 

- 
- 

. '  .-. 

parking facilities  to be  provided  for  disabled  people;  • 
appropriate parking cards giving entitlement to such facilities to be issued; 
holders^of parking cards from  other member countries (of  the ECMT) to 
be  granted  the  same  parking  facilities  as  nationals  of  the  country 
concerned, and 
the necessary  arrangements to be made, with these measures  in mind, for 
the  reciprocal  recognition  of  parking cards. 

Experience has shown, however, that numerous practical problems are encountered 
in  spite  ofjthis  recommendation,  owing  mainly  to  the  lack  of  a  standardised 
format  for\ national  parking  cards,  combined  with  comprehension  difficulties 
arising from  the variety  of languages/involved. 

3  •".  Against  this  background,  the  ECMT  commissioned  a  progress  report  on  the 
implementation  of the  1977  recommendation.  This report was completed  in July 
1995  with  the  title  "Towards  a common  European  parking  badge  for  motorists 
with  disabilities".  It  makes  it  clear  that,  in  addition  to  the  problems  already 
mentioned,  the main difficulty  lies  in the fact that, while most member countries 
of  the  ECMT  are generally  tolerant  of  parking  cards  for  disabled  people  from 
other countries, there are no formal arrangements. A. disabled person therefore has 
no way  of  knowing whether a national  parking card will  be accepted  in a given 
situation  in; another country,  and the  absence  of  any formal  agreement  makes  it 
impossible  for such  persons to assert their rights in cases of doubt. 

4 

The report therefore comes to the conclusion that the introduction  of a European 
parking  card  for  disabled  persons  is  the  appropriate  instrument  to  give, those 
concerned  the  right  to  use  it  to  avail  themselves  of  the  special  local  parking 
facilities  provided  in the various countries. 

The European Conference of Ministers of Transport is an organisation of government representatives 
which was set up on the strength of a protocol signed in Brussels on 17 October 1953. The Conference 
Council brings together the transport ministers from 31 European countries. 

A 

5 

The Commission  is thus intent on putting forward an appropriate recommendation 
for the  introduction  of  a parking  card which  can be easily  administered. 

n. 

THE  COMMISSION'S  POSITION 

6 

7 

8 

.9 

This  proposal  supplements  the  Community  provisions  in  respect  of  a common 
transport policy aimed at improving road traffic  safety,  which includes the public 
parking  of  cars.  Parking  arrangements  fall  within  the  scope  of  transport policy. 
Parking  facilities  for  disabled  people  take  account  of  their  special  requirements 
stemming  from  reduced  mobility  and thus contribute to road traffic  safety. 

Thé goal  of  road traffic  safety  can be further pursued  by  making  it possible  for 
disabled people who travel abroad to avail themselves of the special local parking 
facilities provided, using a standardised card based on a Community model which 
is recognised  throughout the Union,  thereby  making  parking  easier for  disabled 
people  who  are not citizens  of  the country concerned. 

-

Having  regard to the principle  of  subsidiarity,  the recommendation  aims only  to 
standardise the format of-the  paricing caccLfondisabled  persons and to ensure its 
reciprocal  recognition.  There  is  to  be  no  interference  as  regards  national  rules 
governing  the issue  of  such  cards  or  the  parking  facilities  to  which  they  give 
entitlement. 

Such rules differ from one Member State to another, and a move towards uniform 
parking arrangements  would  be of great  practical benefit  to the disabled persons 
concerned.  In  this  connection,  the  Commission  also  .considers  it  possible  to 
provide disabled people with information  on the respective local parking facilities 
available  in the Member  States  of  the European  Union.  Appropriate  steps are to 
be taken  after  presentation  of  the.recommendation. 

The  recommendation  is  intended  to  standardise  the format  of  parking  cards  for 
disabled  persons  and  to  ensure  their  reciprocal  recognition.  The  idea  is  not  to 
introduce a European parking card; on the contrary, parking-cards will retain their 
national  status,  although  they  are to  be  designed  on  the  basis  of  the  European 
Communities  model,  as  is  the  case  with  driving  licences  (cf.  Council  Directive 
91/439/EEC  of  29 July  199.1  on  driving  licences,  OJ No  L 237  of  24.8.1991, 
p.  1).  Consequently,  reciprocal  recognition  is  necessary  to  ensure  that  a  card 
issued in one country can be used in the other EU Member States without having 
to be exchanged  or applied  for anew. 

A  standardised  format  makes the  card  readily  recognisable.  Previous  difficulties 
arising  from  the  variety  of  existing  cards  will  be  overcome.  The  proposed 
.  designation on the front of the card in all the official  languages of the EU, as with 
driving  licences,  will  also.clear  up  any  linguistic  misunderstanding.  Use  of  the 
Community-model  parking  card,  with  reciprocal  recognition  by  the  Member 
States,  will  facilitate  parking  throughout  the  EU  for  the  disabled  persons 
concerned. 

10 

11 

The Commission  takes  the  view  that  at the  same  time this  will  help  to promote 
the  integration  of  disabled  people  in  both  occupational  and  social  terms. 
Opportunities  for  travelling  to  other  countries  by  car,  e.g.  as  tourists,  will  be 
enhanced. 

The  draft  recommendation  has  arisen  out  of  a  process  of  wide-ranging 
consultation  among  the  Member  States  and  non-governmental  organisations, 
involving  the  consultative  bodies  of  the  HELIOS  II  programme,  namely  the 
Advisory  Committee (government  representatives  of the Member  States) and the 
European  Disability  Forum  (representatives  of  European  non-governmental 
organisations,  national  disability  councils or non-governmental  organisations and 
the  social  partners),  which  were  consulted  in  September  1995;'the  HELIOS 
.  Working  Party  on Mobility  and Transport (government  representatives  plus one 
non-governmental  organisation) was consulted in October 1995. Consultation also 
took  place,  in  November  1995,  with  the  ECMt's  ad-hoc  working  party  on the 
transport of  persons with  reduced  mobility-. 

The Commission's  initiative has been generally  welcomed, with broad agreement 
berngTeached:on the content of the recom mendati on and, for the most part, on the 
format  of  the parking card as set out in the recommendation. 

EL 

THE  SITUATION  IN  THE  MEMBER  STATES 

12 

A national  parking card"for disabled people is available in all the Member States. 
Spain has a number of  regional  variations. 

» 

• * • * ". 

* 

Most of  ttfe  national  parking cards for disabled  persons  show the  internationally 
recognised  wheelchair-user  symbol  of  accessibility,  along  with  the  name  of  the 
holder,  the stamp of  the  issuing  authority  and the period  of validity. 

13 

14 

The parking facilities  associated  with the card are similar, entailing,  for instance, 
parking  of  unlimited  or extended  duration,  or exemption  from  stopping/parking 
prohibitions,  with  due  regard  for  road  traffic  safety.  The  exact  situation  differs 
from  country  to  country,  though  (and  in  some  cases  from  region to  region and 
from  town to town). 

This makes it necessary  to provide disabled persons with accurate information on 
the parking facilities  available  in each country. 

Under  certain  conditions,  various  Member  States  already  operate  a  system  of 
reciprocal  recognition  of  parking  cards  for  disabled  persons,  with  formal 
arrangements  laid  down  in  some  cases.  However,  the  lack  of  standardisation 
causes  considerable  uncertainty  as  to  the  use  of  such  cards  among  persons 
travelling abroad. 

IV. 

PRESENTATION  OF  THE  RECOMMENDATION 

A. 

Legal  basis 

15 

The recommendation aims  to  improve  road  traffic  safety  by  making  it  possible  for 
disabled people to avail themselves of the special local  parking facilities provided, using 
a reciprocally  recognised  parking  card of standardised  format; Article  75(l)(c). 

B. 

Provisions 

16 

Point  1 advocates the  introduction  of  a national  parking card for disabled persons based 
on a standardised  Community  model. 

Point 2 goes on to recommend that such "a card be recognised on a reciprocal basis so that 
the holder of the card may  benefit  from  the associated parking facilities  granted by the 
respective  Member States. 

In Point  3  it is  proposed  that the  Member  States should  issue the  parking sard  only to 
disabled persons with  reduced" mobility.  The  reason for this is that the parking  facilities 
are intended  to compensate  for disabled  people's  reduced mobility  by enabling  them to 
park their car as near to their destination as possible. 

Point  4  proposes  1 January  1998  as  the,deadline  for  implementing  the  recommended 
measures.  The  intervening  period  gives  the  Member  States  enough  time  to  take  the 
necessary  steps. 

•  Accordingly, the Commission recommends, under Point J, that the Member States should, 
by  1 Marcrwi998, furnish a report on the measures taken. These reports will  also play a 
part in gauging the extent to vvhith the disabled persons concerned have to be informed 
about the various parking facilities  in the Member States which can be obtained using the 
reciprocally  recognised, standardised  parking card. 

17 

Annex 

The  Annex  describes  the  format  of  the  Community-model  parking  card  for  disabled 
persons,  which  is  based  both  on  existing  national  cards  and  on the~above-mentioned 
Directive  on driving  licences. 

Point  A: 

The card is the same size as a number of existing nationalcards and is two-thirds the size 
of the Community-model  driving  licence. The format chosen affords  sufficient  space for 
inserting  the necessary  details  cleariy. 

Point  B: 

Blue  was  chosen  as  the  colour  because  it  is  frequently  used  in  connection  with: the 
stylised  wheelchair-user symbol  of accessibility, and is already used for certain national 
parking cards (e.g.. in  Belgium,  Portugal  and Luxembourg). 

Point  C: 

The parking card is to be plastic-coated both to protect it and for security reasons, making 
it more difficult  to forge.  Only the space reserved for the holder's signature  will  not be 
plastic-coated, as is the case with  cheque  and credit cards. This  avoids  the need for the 
disabled person to go to the issuing authority before the card is plastic-coated. He or she 
can sign the parking card subsequently. 

, 

Point  D: 

This point describes the exact content and positioning of the text and other details shown 
on the parking card. 

The front of the card contains all the elements necessary for recognition: the wheelchair-
user symbol,  designation  in all  the  official  languages of the  European  Union, period  of 
validity,  name  and  stamp  of  the  issuing  authority  validating  the  document.  As  with 
driving  licences, provision  is made for the national distinguishing  code of the respective 
Member States to be affixed; surrounded by the ring of 12 stars symbolising the European 
Union,  with express  mention  being  made of the fact that it  is a European  Communities 
model. 

In  view  of  the  fact  that,  in  some  Member  States,  the  parking  card  is  linked  to  the 
registration number of the holder's vehicle, the registration number may, if required, also 
be shown  on the front of the card. 

It is  not deemed necessary  to include  any  other details on the  front  of the  parking card 
for purposes of  recognition. 

The reverse of the card contains data which will  identify  the authorised holder, namely 
surname, forename(s), date of birth, address and signature. 
'••••• 
••'  •• 
Also  shown on the reverse are the basic conditions of use which, irrespective of  specific 
national  rules, apply to all  parking cards based on the Community model, namely: 

' • • • • • •' 

•'V  '•' ' 

• '•"'• 

'  •• 

'  •• 

. .. 

•••• 

A 

' 

- 

- 

an  explanatory  statement  to  the  effect  that  the  parking  card,  when  in  use,  i.e. 
when  the authorised  holder  wishes  to take  advantage  of  the  associated  parking 
facilities, must be positioned  in such a way as to be clearly visible for checking 
purposes; 

a statement to the effect that the parking card gives entitlement only to the special 
local  parking  facilities  available  in  the Member State concerned,  as opposed to 
such parking facilities  as may  be available  in the person's country of origin. 

Point  E: 

This point deals with linguistic requirements applying to the parking card; corresponding 
to  those  for the Community-model  driving  licence. 

EUROPEAN COMMISSION 

DRAFT  COUNCIL RECOMMENDATION ON A 
PARKING  CARD  FOR  DISABLED  PERSONS 

The Council of the European Union, 

„ 

Having  regard  to  the  Treaty  establishing-the-Eu,ropean  Community,;  and  in  particular 
Article 75(l)(c)  thereof, 

Having regard to the proposal for a recommendation submitted by the Commission, 

In cooperation wirh the European Parliament1, 

Having regardto.the opinion of the Economic andSocial Committee2, 

Having regard to the opinion of the Committee of the Regions3, 

Whereas  the  reciprocal  recognition of  a parking  card for  disabled  persons  based  on  a 
standardised Community model was advocated by the Commission in its communication 
on  a  medium-term  social  action  programme  (1995-97),  forwarded  to  the  Council,  the 
European  Parliament,  the  Economic  and  Social  Committee  and  the  Committee  of  the 
Regions on  12 April  19954,  and also  in its report of .26 November  1993  to the Council 
on the measures to be taken in the Community regarding the accessibility of transport to 
persons with reduced mobility5; 

Whereas it is stated in Title I, section 26 of the Community Charter of the Fundamental 
Social Rights of Workers that all disabled persons, whatever thé origin and nature of their 
disablement, should be entitled to additional concrete measures aimed at improving their 

COM(95)  134 
COM(93)  433 

Rue de  la  Loi 200,  B-1049  Bruxelies/Wetstraat  200,  B-1049  Brussel - Belgium  - Office: J27  0/121. 
Telephone:  direct  line  (+32-2)2955039,  exchange  299.11.11.  Fax: 2951012. 
Telex:  COMEU B 21877.  Telegraphic  address:  COMEUR  Brussels. 

social and occupational integration; whereas such.measures should concern, in particular, 
according  to  the  capacities  of  the  beneficiaries,  accessibility,  mobility  and  means  of 
transport; 

Whereas a private car constitutes, for many disabled people who are unable to use public 
transport, the only means of getting about independently for purposes of occupational and 
social  integration; whereas, in certain circumstances and with due regard to road safety, 
it is only right that disabled persons should be enabled, by means of a designated parking . 
card,  to  park their  car as hear to  their destination  as possible;  whereas disabled  people 
should thus have the opportunity to avail themselves of the facilities provided by the said 
parking card throughout the European Community in accordance with the. national rules 
y 
applying in the respective  countries; 

Whereasr in view of the fact that parking cards for disabled persons may come within the 
remit of  regional  authorities»  the Committee of the Regions should be consulted; 

Whereas, in accordance with the principle of subsidiarity, Community action is necessary 
to  ensure that parking cards for disabled persons are readily recognised  on a reciprocal 
basis  and to  facilitate  freedom of  movement for  disabled people,  enabling them also to 
participate in tourist activities, thereby avoiding thé practical problems which divergent 
national models  may present for disabled people and supervisory  officials; 

Whereas, for the purposes of the common transport policy and with a view to helping to 
improve road traffic  safety,  which includes car parking, it is desirable that there should 
be a Community^model parking card for disabled persons recognised reciprocally by the 
Member States, 

Hereby recommends the Member States to:; 

1. 

2; 

3. 

4. 

5. 

introduce a national parking card for disabled persons, issued in accordance with 
the  respective  national  provisions,  on the basis  of  the  standardised  Community 
model  described  in the Annex; 

recognise reciprocally the parking cards for disabled persons introduced by each 
Member ^tate in accordance with the standardised Community model, so that the 
holder of  the card may benefit from the associated parking facilities  available in 
the respective countries; 

issue the parking card only to disabled persons^ with reduced mobility; 

take the necessary steps to ensure that the parking cards for disabled persons based 
on  the  standardised  Community  model,  and  the  arrangements  for  reciprocal 
recognition,  are introduced by  1 January  1908 at the latest; 

inform the Commission, by 1 March 1998, of the measures taken pursuant to this 
Tecommendation. 

Done at Brussels, 
For the Council 

ANNEX 

PROVISIONS  CONCERNING  THE  COMMUNITY-MODEL 
PARKING  CARD  FOR  DISABLED PERSONS 

A. 

The  overall  dimensions  of  the  parking  card  for  disabled  persons  as  per  the 
Community model  shall be: 

- 

height:  106 mm; 

width:  148 mm. 

v 

B. 

C. 

D. 

The  colour  of  the  parking  card  shall  be  light  blue,  except  for  the  white 
wheelchair-user symbol which shall have a dark blue background. 

The parking card for disabled persons shall be plastic-coated,  with.the exception 
of  the  space  reserved  for  the  holder's  signature  on  the  left-hand  side  of  the 
reverse. 

The parking card for disabled persons.shall be divided vertically  into two halves 
on bothr the front and reverse. 

— 

- <' 

. 

• 

•. 

The left^and  side of the front shall contain: 

- 

- 

- 

- 

- 

the wheelchair-user symbol  in white on a dark blue background; 

the period of validity  of the parking card; 

the serial number of  the parking card; 

the name and stamp of the issuing  authority/organisation; 

optional: the vehicle registration* number. 

The right-hand side of  the front shall contain: 
- 

in  capital  letters,  the  words  "Parking card  for  disabled  persons"  in  the 
language(s) of the Member State issuing the card. After a suitable space, 
the words  "Parking card" shall  appear in capital  letters/small  type in the 
other languages  of the European Union; 

- 

the  words  "European  Communities  model"  in  the  language(s)  of  the 
Member  State issuing the parking card; 

as  background,  the  distinguishing  code  of  the Member  State  issuing  the 
parking  card,  as follows: 

Belgium 
B: 
DK:  Denmark 
D: 
Germany 
GR:  Greece 
E: 
F: 
IRL: 

Spain 
France 
Ireland 

Italy 
I: 
L: 
Luxembourg 
NL:  Netherlands 
Austria 
A: 
P: 
Portugal 
FIN:  Finland 
S: 
Sweden 
UK:  United Kingdom, 

surrounded by the ring of  12 stars symbolising  the European Union. 

The left-hand  side of  the reverse shall contain: 

1. 

2. 

3. 

4. 

5. 

the holder's surname; 

the holder's,forename(s); 

the holder's  date of birth; 

the holder's address; 

the holder's signature. 

The rightrhand side of  the reverse shall contain: 

1. 

the statement: 

"This card gives entitlement to the special local parking facilities available 
in the Member  State concerned."; 

2. 

the statement: 

"When in use,, the card is to be affixed  to the inside of the windscreen or, 
in the absence of  a windscreen,  to the front of the vehicle  in such a way 
that the front of the card is  clearly  and wholly visible.". 

With the exception  of the right-hand side of the front,  entries shall be shown in 
the language(s)  of the Member State issuing the parking card. 

If  a Member  State wishes  to make the entries  in a national  language  other than 
one  of  the following:  Danish,  Dutch,  English,  Finnish,  French,  German,  Greek, 
Italian, Portuguese,  Spanish, Swedish,  it shall draw up a bilingual version of the 
parking card using one of the eleven aforementioned languages, without prejudice 
to the other provisions  of this Annex. 

ISSN 0254-1475 

COM(95) 696  final 

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ISBN 92-77-98213-6 

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