WRITTEN QUESTION E-1462/01 by Piia-Noora Kauppi (PPE-DE) to the Commission. Diabetic seeks category C driving licence.
Date: 2001-05-17
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: access to a profession, diabetes, drivers, driving licence, traffic regulations

C 350 E/162

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

11.12.2001

The beneficiary institutions specified in lines A-3010, A-3011 etc., not being eligible under the criteria
applying to line A-3022, do not receive any support under this line.

As for the question of support for activities presenting information about the Union, it should be stressed
that such activities are not eligible for funding from line A-3022.

(2001/C 350 E/173)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1460/01

by Christopher Heaton-Harris (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(17 May 2001)

Subject: Budget Line A-3022

€ 1 500 000 was allocated both for 2000 and 2001 to Budget Line A-3022, Study and Research Centres.

Could the Commission confirm which organisations and centres have benefitted from this line in the past,
giving full details of the projects that were carried out?

How many new and existing organisations applied for this funding for 2001, and in what way does the
Commission audit the use of Community money from this line?

Answer given by Ms Schreyer on behalf of the Commission

(16 July 2001)

The Commission would inform the Honourable Member that it produces an annual report on all the
grants awarded under Chapter A-30, listing the beneficiaries, the amount of the grant and the percentage
co-financed. This report, which has already been sent to Parliament this year (to the Secretariat of the
Committee on Budgets) contains information on the beneficiaries of grants made from budget line
A-3022.

The projects to be funded under the 2001 budget are currently being selected. Of the 136 proposals
received by the Commission, 21 come from organisations (universities or associations of university
teachers) selected in previous years.

Line A-3022 is used to fund not the operating costs of the organisations receiving the grants, but costs
directly linked with the projects funded. Monitoring the use to which grants are put requires analysis of
the final report and the financial statement which all organisations are required to submit at the end of the
project. This analysis is conducted before the balance of the grant is paid out. In some cases it may result
in recovery of part of the advance.

(2001/C 350 E/174)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1462/01

by Piia-Noora Kauppi (PPE-DE) to the Commission

Subject: Diabetic seeks category C driving licence

(17 May 2001)

A Finn suffering from diabetes has studied for close on two years at technical school in the logistics
section to qualify as a lorry driver. When applying for the school in question, the person concerned was
not told that diabetes was a factor restricting this course of study. Passing the exam and exercising the
profession require a category C driving licence, and the conditions for issuing such a licence contain
a derogation for diabetics that is laid down in the relevant EU directive.

11.12.2001

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 350 E/163

According to Council Directive 91/439/EEC (1) (Annex III, point 10.1), only in very exceptional cases may
category C driving licences be issued to, or renewed for, applicants or drivers suffering from diabetes
mellitus and requiring insulin treatment, and then only where duly justified by authorised medical opinion
and subject to regular medical check-ups.

In order to acquire a category C driving licence, the applicant has obtained opinions on his state of health
from a consultant in paediatrics, a specialist in general medicine and a specialist in ophthalmology. All the
aforementioned medical opinions recommend that a category C driving licence be issued, and the doctors
do not consider that there is any obstacle to the patient obtaining either an ordinary private driving licence
or a professional driving licence.

The applicant has held a category B driving licence since 1998. Diabetes has not affected his ability to
drive a private car nor has he suffered from insulin shocks or hypoglycaemia. He has no intention of
working as a professional driver in the passenger transport sector and he would undergo regular health
check-ups.

Finland(cid:146)s Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency has not granted the derogation. In the reasons for its
decision the Agency refers to the EU directive, which it is interpreting narrowly in this case.

Is the Commission aware that the interpretation of the EU directive on the conditions for issuing driving
licences is causing these kinds of problems for the authorities in the Member States?

At the same time, does any similar precedent exist concerning, for example, persons suffering from
epilepsy or with physical handicaps?

Where problems with the interpretation of this directive turn out to be a more widespread phenomenon,
is the Commission prepared to take steps to clarify the interpretation of the directive at national level?

(1) OJ L 237, 24.8.1991, p. 1.

Answer given by Mrs de Palacio on behalf of the Commission

(23 July 2001)

Drivers suffering from diabetes mellitus and requiring insulin treatment may hold a driving licence for
categories C and D and sub-categories and corresponding trailer categories (cid:145)subject to authorised medical
opinion and regular medical check-ups appropriate to each case.(cid:146) (1)

Diabetes mellitus has been the subject of lengthy discussions within the Committee of government experts
on driving licences and the Committee has concluded that the current provision must be continued.
Member States experts feel
in particular insulin shocks,
hypoglycaemia, arterial blood pressure variations or eyesight problems are too great to issue driving
licences for heavy goods vehicles or buses.

the risks linked to diabetes mellitus,

that

All Member States apply a limited access policy to categories C and D for people suffering from diabetes
mellitus and treated with insulin. Authorisation is subject to regular medical check-ups and most Member
States renew licences for persons suffering from diabetes mellitus only at a later age in their professional
career. This effectively results in people suffering from diabetes mellitus being refused first issue of a driving
licence in categories C and D.

This precedent also exists for the issue and renewal of driving licences for persons suffering from epilepsy
and locomotor disabilities (2).

Following discussions in the Committee of government experts on driving licences, the Commission has
launched several studies through its research programmes and hopes to present the results of these studies
to the Committee in two years (3).

(1) Point 10.1 of Annex III to Council Directive 91/439/EEC of 29 July 1991 on driving licences (OJ L 237,

24.8.1991).

(2) Points 8.3 and 12.2 of the aforementioned Annex III.
(3) Studies are in progress regarding vision, diabetes, epilepsy and adaptations to vehicles.