WRITTEN QUESTION No. 777/98 by Christian ROVSING to the Commission. Eye tests for professional drivers
Date: 1998-03-18
Institutions: European Parliament, ROVSING
Subjects: European driving licence, European standard, drivers, medical examination, occupational health, occupational medicine, optics, road safety

22.12.98

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 402/31

As the Commission pointed out in its answer to Written Question E-317/94 by Mr Kostopoulos, (1) it has no plans
at present to draft a directive regulating the practice of chiropraxis in the Member States. This is because there is a
major division between those Member States which limit the medical profession to doctors alone and those in
which other practices, such as chiropraxis, are recognised.

In any event, Community legislation along those lines would require a unanimous decision in the Council
pursuant to the second sentence of Article 57(2) of the EC Treaty.

Regarding the second question, although Article 129 of the EC Treaty concerning public health provides for
Community action to prevent diseases, it does not provide for Community action in respect of treatment.
Accordingly, responsibility for this area lies with the national authorities.

(1) OJ C 376, 30.12.1994.

(98/C 402/038)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0777/98

by Christian Rovsing (PPE) to the Commission

(18 March 1998)

Subject: Eye tests for professional drivers

Does the Commission consider it to be in accordance with the intentions of the EU directive on eyesight tests for
professional drivers that a 48 year old driver who has hitherto obtained a Danish professional driver(cid:146)s licence
without problems may under the Directive lose the right to have it renewed, without any medical evidence of any
form of change in his eyesight since it was last issued.

Does the Commission consider that the national authorities are entitled to discriminate between the renewal of
existing professional driver(cid:146)s licences and the issue of new ones in their administration of the provisions of the
directive?

Answer given by Mr Kinnock on behalf of the Commission

(15 May 1998)

On the issue and renewal of driving licences in relation to the minimum standards for eyesight, the Commission
would like to refer the Honourable Member to its answers to written questions P-2880/97 by Mrs Kjer Hansen (1)
and P-1278/97 by Mrs Jensen (2).

In particular, the attention of the Honourable Member is drawn to the fact that the one of the purposes of Council
Directive 91/439/EEC (3) was to eliminate national differences in standards pertaining to driving licences.

In its initial proposal for the Directive in 1988 (4) the Commission did propose a so-called (cid:145)Grandfathers&apos;
Rights(cid:146) clause to permit existing holders of driving licences to be exempt from newer, more stringent standards,
along the lines proposed by the Honourable Member. However, the Council rejected this clause when adopting
the final text.

Provision exists for the medical requirements laid down in the Directive to be amended. However, it should be
noted that at a recent meeting of the committee on the driving licence which was established by Directive 97/26/
EC (5), and given the power to adapt Annexes II and III of Directive 91/439/EEC to scientific and technical
progress, there was no agreement to adapt point 6.3 relating to eyesight or to introduce any grandfather rights.

(1) OJ C 117, 16.4.1998.
(2) OJ C 373, 9.12.1997.
(3) OJ L 237, 24.8.1991.
(4) COM(88) 705 final.
(5) OJ L 150, 7.6.1997.