WRITTEN QUESTION E-3023/01 by Isidoro Sánchez García (ELDR) to the Commission. Commission plans for recognising and exchanging returned emigrants' driving licences.
Date: 2001-10-30
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: EU Member State, EU national, European driving licence, Latin America, Spain, bilateral agreement, driving licence, mutual recognition principle, third country

16.5.2002

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 115 E/213

Will the Commission be taking part in that Congress? What views will it express and what commitments
will
the sexual and
commercial exploitation of children, and what is its assessment of its policy so far?

it give as the European Union’s contribution to the international

fight against

Does it have an evaluation of the implementation of the action plans adopted at the First World Congress
held in Stockholm in 1996?

Answer given by Mr Vitorino on behalf of the Commission

(7 January 2002)

The Commission participated in the Second World Congress against Commercial Sexual Exploitation of
Children.

Its participation consisted of addressing the plenary session with a synthesis of the activities achieved in
this area since the first congress in Stockholm back in 1996. This synthesis included legislative work as
well as best practices obtained through the funding of projects, thanks to the Community programmes
Daphne and STOP, which are a major achievement since the first World Congress.

Also, a workshop, involving non-governmental organisations (NGOs), was chaired by the Commission in
order to reflect and programme further actions.

The activities carried out by the Commission show its commitment to the Action Plan set up in
Stockholm, the Daphne and STOP programmes have operational budgets for at least another couple of
years.

The Commission will inform the Honourable Member of Parliament as soon as possible of the outcome of
the Conference.

(2002/C 115 E/226)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3023/01

by Isidoro Sánchez García (ELDR) to the Commission

(30 October 2001)

Subject: Commission plans for recognising and exchanging returned emigrants’ driving licences

Spanish emigrants returning from Latin America in recent years find themselves facing serious problems
both socially and in terms of employment due to the fact that they cannot get their driving licences
validated because there is, in many cases, no bilateral agreement with their former countries of residence
concerning mutual recognition and exchange of driving licences.

An EU Directive of 29 July 1991 lays down that driving licences issued by third countries can be
exchanged for Community licences only if a bilateral agreement exists between the countries concerned.
This Directive was transposed into the Spanish General Ruling on Drivers, adopted by the Royal Decree of
30 May 1997.

What are the commission’s plans for easing the problem of recognising and exchanging non-Community
driving licences and thus preventing the serious prejudice suffered by emigrants returning to countries like
Spain, who find themselves deprived of a document which is frequently essential for finding a job?

Answer given by Mrs de Palacio on behalf of the Commission

(18 December 2001)

Article 1 paragraph 2 of Council Directive 91/439/EEC of 29 July 1991 on driving licences (1) provides for
mutual recognition of driving licences issued by Member States. The justification for the recognition of
licences issued in Member States lies within the harmonisation of the criteria for issue.

C 115 E/214

Official Journal of the European Communities

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16.5.2002

However, driving licences issued in third countries outside the European Economic Area (EEA) do not have
to be mutually recognised. Even in case a licence issued in a third country is recognised and exchanged for
a Community licence by one Member State, another Member State is not bound to recognise this
Community licence issued in exchange (as stated in Article 8 paragraph 6 of Directive 91/439/EEC).

The policy of bilateral recognition of licences issued in third countries lies within the discretion of
individual Member States. In case a holder of a Community licence establishes his normal residence in a
third country outside the EEA, the recognition of the licence depends on bilateral agreements in place, as
does the recognition of a third country licence of holders who wish to establish their normal residence in a
Member State.

At present, the existing lists of third countries whose licences are recognised at a bilateral
level are
heterogeneous for a variety of reasons. A coherent Community recognition policy would need to be based
upon objective grounds, which would include an evaluation of examination standards, document security
features and other driving licence-related aspects in a large number of third countries. For the time being,
the Commission is not in a position to carry out such an exercise.

(1) OJ L 237, 24.8.1991. This act is of relevance to the European Economic Area.

(2002/C 115 E/227)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-3024/01

by Albert Maat (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(23 October 2001)

Subject: Destruction of a Dutch meat plant in France

In Fougères (France) angry French farmers caused major damage at a branch of a Dutch meat company.
This branch processes Dutch beef. According to the French farmers, they carried out this action because
large amounts of beef are currently being imported into France when sufficient meat is available in the
country itself.

Is the Commission aware that French farmers destroyed a Dutch meat plant in Fougères (France)?

What does the Commission intend to do to protect the property of European citizens against nationalist
actions?

What measures are being proposed by the Commission to prevent such actions against the single market
in future?

Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission

(3 December 2001)

The Commission had not been informed of the damage caused at the Vivendus meat-cutting plant in
Fougères. In addition to the information provided by the Honourable Member, it should be pointed out
that, at the meeting of the Management Committee for Beef and Veal held on 26 October 2001, the Dutch
delegate raised the matter of the incidents in Fougères in order to denounce the unacceptable character,
from the point of view of the organisation of the market, of situations in which producers in some French
regions threaten or obstruct the operation of slaughterhouses or processing establishments dealing in
particular with beef and veal from other Member States. However, the Commission does not at present
have any precise information on these incidents. In particular, it has not been informed how the French
authorities have reacted in order to eliminate such reprehensible behaviour.

The Commission resolutely condemns violent attacks by individuals against the principle of the free
movement of goods and a failure by the relevant authorities of the Member State concerned to take the
necessary public order measures to put an end to them.