The European Commission yesterday published proposals to standardise driving licences across the EU, requiring plastic cards rather than folding documents.
Although the proposals are broadly in line with changes already being made by the Department of Transport, they would impose extra obligations on older drivers and would prevent those aged under 21 from riding powerful motorbikes.
Ms Loyola de Palacio, the European Commissioner for transport, said her proposals were intended to improve road safety and cut fraud.
"More than 80 different driving licence models, with different entitlements and validity periods, are currently circulating in the member-states. Hardly any proper enforcement of driving licences is possible," she said.
Licences can be held indefinitely in some EU countries but the Commission is proposing that the new licences be renewed regularly. This is already the case in Ireland, where licences are valid for 10 years. If the driver is aged 70 or more, a medical certificate is needed to renew a licence for one or three years.
Under the Commission's proposals, licences would be valid for 10 years for cars and motorbikes, reduced to five years for those aged over 65. For lorries and buses, the commission proposes that licences be renewed every five years rather than the current 10.
The Commissioner said she wanted to prevent drivers who were banned in one EU state from getting a replacement licence in another state. That would require EU states to exchange information.
The Commission also wanted to set minimum standards for driving-test examiners because it believed that passing a test in some countries was easier than in others.
Ms de Palacio said her proposals would abolish one of the last obstacles to the free movement of EU citizens. All driving licences would have the same validity period and would be unconditionally valid in any member-state.
Governments would no longer be justified in calling for additional medical tests for drivers who held non-national driving licences or for limiting the validity of their licences.
Current licences would gradually be replaced when up for renewal. Governments would be left to decide whether they wished to make their licences into "smart cards" by equipping them with a microchip.
The Government is evaluating tenders for the introduction of plastic card licences, which it aims to introduce in the first half of next year. The design of the cards could accommodate microchips if they were permitted by EU law.
The proposals will need the approval of governments and the European Parliament. A clause requiring licences for the use of mopeds may not go down well with French and Italian teenagers, but Ms de Palacio said mopeds should no longer be left outside the law.