Provisional EU Driving Licence deal supports skills and talent attraction

IRU welcomes the provisional agreement reached following trilogue negotiations between EU institutions on the revision of the EU Driving Licence Directive. The outcome reflects long-standing priorities of the road transport sector and supports efforts to ensure road safety and alleviate the growing shortage of professional drivers.The provisional agreement reached between the negotiating bodies marks progress on key issues, including minimum driver age requirements, accompanied driving for young drivers, facilitation for alternatively fuelled vehicles, an EU framework for recognising third-country driving licences, and the introduction of a harmonised digital driving licence.IRU EU Director Raluca Marian said, “This pragmatic trilogue compromise shows real EU-level support for removing barriers to the driver profession – crucial as shortages worsen. It brings legal clarity, modernised rules, and progress on youth access, third-country drivers, and digital licences.”

The agreement provides long-awaited clarity on the minimum age for professional drivers, confirming that drivers with full training can drive trucks internationally from the age of 18.For passenger transport, while we appreciate that 21 years has been confirmed as the minimum age for driving buses and coaches, we regret the missed opportunity to remove the existing 50km limitation for drivers under 21 years old. This remains an obstacle to attracting young graduates to the sector.

IRU supports the inclusion of an accompanied driving scheme for 17-year-olds, which EU Member States may choose to implement for licence categories B, C1 and C1E. This important initiative allows young drivers to gain supervised experience and targeted training, contributing to road safety and the attractiveness of the profession.

The introduction of an EU-wide framework to recognise and exchange certain third-country driving licences – when aligned with EU standards – is a welcome step towards reducing administrative burdens for operators and drivers. This move supports efforts to expand the talent pool beyond EU borders.IRU encourages policymakers to build on this progress by also addressing the recognition of third-country professional qualifications, which remains key to fully unlocking international driver recruitment.Raluca Marian added: “While attracting EU talent must remain the priority, the reality of 500,000 unfilled driver positions across the EU makes tapping into the third-country driver pool a necessity.”“We welcome the initial step of simplifying the recognition of professional driving licences issued by third countries. However, this only addresses part of the challenge.”“Without mutual recognition of Certificates of Professional Competence (CPCs), these drivers will still be unable to operate in the EU. Although this opportunity was missed for now, we remain hopeful as the upcoming revision of CPC rules could finally close this critical gap.”

As part of the provisional agreement, a uniform digital driving licence is set to be introduced by the end of 2030, integrated into the European Digital Identity Wallet and recognised across all EU Member States.While digitalisation will streamline and modernise the issuance and use of licences, drivers will retain the right to request a physical version.This is an important step towards smarter, more inclusive and paperless mobility, reflecting the EU’s commitment to adapting road transport rules to the needs of a digital society.

Drivers holding a category B licence for at least two years will be permitted to drive alternatively fuelled vehicles of up to 4.25 tonnes – an increase from the standard 3.5-tonne limit. This measure is particularly relevant for taxi services and urban delivery operations.Importantly, the final agreement clarifies that the exemption applies to both commercial transport of passengers and goods, expanding the scope beyond the European Commission’s original proposal, which limited it to goods transport only.

The trilogue discussion represents a significant milestone, with the majority of policy elements now agreed upon. The provisional agreement will now require endorsement from the representatives of the member states within the Council, as well as the European Parliament.“We trust that this balanced outcome will be formally endorsed by both the Council and the European Parliament” concluded Raluca Marian.